Something Wicked (A Magical Girl Story)
by DevinTowerwood
Summary: Taylor Christensen has two really big problems: 1) She's in love with three different girls, but they don't exactly get along 2) Spirits have begun to possess her classmates, and she has no idea how to stop them. As things begin to spiral out of control at Blackwell university, Taylor comes face to face with uncomfortable truths about her school, her friends, and herself.
1. Episode 1: Possession

Taylor was pretty pathetic at gym. It didn't matter if it were the laps she was supposed to run at the start of class (she didn't) or this game of badminton she was supposed to be winning (she wasn't), she was just fucking atrocious. She knew that wasn't her fault, that it was better if she took things slow, but it was definitely humiliating.

It was her and Rachel against Logan and Zach. They'd already lost the set 0-2, but they were losing their third game 6-17 just to fill time. It was Logan's serve, but he was just standing there talking to Zach. Taylor couldn't pretend to be annoyed.  
Rachel couldn't pretend _not_ to be.

"I just don't get what she wants me to do," Zach whined. "I mean, nothing happened! I already said 'sorry.'"

"I don't know, dude. Juliet's all about drama, I think-"

"Hey assholes!" Rachel clearly was done listening, shifting from lazy foot-tapping to planting her feet. "It's your serve. Are you too tired from getting your asses kicked?"

Zach and Logan glanced at each other, then Zach said, "Dude, we already won."

Rachel twirled her racket in her hands. "Not this match, you haven't."

The banter on who had or hadn't already won continued for a bit, but Taylor got tired of looking over at the huge football players when she should be looking literally anywhere else. Juliet and Dana were playing their own, apparently much more competitive game of badminton on the other side of the gym. Juliet was way, way more upset about all of this than Zachary was, but _she_ wasn't stopping gym just to talk about it.

A tap on Taylor's shoulder brought her back to the game.

"C'mon T, just 14 consecutive points and we're back in this."  
Rachel was always doing this thing where she tried to brush back her hair so it wouldn't cover her earring. However, she put her hair up for gym class, so the tic did nothing - which did nothing to stop Taylor from self-consciously mirroring her.

"I'm actually pretty sure we lost," Taylor replied.

" _Thank_ you," Zach replied, gesturing across the net. Rachel's face pinched in displeasure and Taylor tried to pretend she wasn't disgusted at this praise-punishment pairing.

"Ugh, whatever, just _serve_ already."

"Fine."

Logan served, obviously not trying his hardest, and Rachel launched herself forward, not even really letting the birdie over the net before spiking it back down on the boys' side of the net.

"Oh! What?! Thirteen points left?" Rachel popped her gym shirt. "Easy."

Logan shrugged. "Whatever."

* * *

As soon as they were in the locker room, Rachel had questions.

"So, what the fuck was up with Zach today, do you know? He was like 37% bitchier than normal."

Taylor shrugged, tugging off her lock and dropping it in the locker. Rachel always tried to maintain conversation while they were changing, so Taylor would just use the few inches of locker door as a barrier. Rachel never seemed to mind, or even really notice.

"I don't know? Being Zach? He's a bitch."

That, of course, was a lie. Not only did Taylor know exactly why Zach was acting like that, she was instrumental in effecting this increase in bitchiness. It had been her idea, after all, for Victoria to sext Zach - the added step of blaming it on Dana, though, had been all Victoria. Taylor was quick to get her hands dirty, but she wasn't good at it the way Victoria was.

"Well, yeah, like, sure, but he just seemed a little Extra today, you know? And I think Logan said it had something to do with Juliet and - oh hey Danny!"

Rachel's arm waved up above the barrier of the locker, and Taylor spun around. Dana was coming in later than most everyone else, making her way down the outside aisle of the locker. Her face was pinched and her eyes distant, but when she caught sight of Rachel and Taylor, she raised her hand to wave.  
At least, until her eyes finally locked with Taylor's. They kept that faraway look, but her mouth twisted into a frown, and slowly, her arm dropped back down. Taylor's heart thudded in her chest in response, in disappointment.

Dana walked on towards her locker in the next row. Taylor finally felt released, finding herself wringing her regular shirt in her hands.

"Huh," Rachel said, resuming changing, "she seems pretty tired. I hope Jule's not giving her a hard time again."

Taylor held her reply until her shirt was on, and she started rubbing her arms for warmth. "Yeah. Me too."

* * *

It was always a warning sign when Victoria wanted to have lunch on the steps. It wasn't exactly super comfortable nor super warm, so there was always a reason when they chilled here. Usually, that reason involved catching someone specific going into or out of the dorms. Today, Taylor was pretty certain she knew who that was. Or maybe . . .?

"God, Max is such an entitled bitch. Today, in class, she was sleeping, just fucking conked out, and when she finally wakes up, Jefferson is just like 'Oh, she has a gift.'"  
Courtney quirked her eyebrows down in apparently disbelief. It was always pretty impressive - she had the most intensely over-expressive eyebrows Taylor had ever seen, although they mostly seemed to express surprise.  
"No, seriously," Victoria replied; "Tay, tell her. Does Max do _anything_ in class?"

It probably wasn't a serious question, but Taylor still took a moment to think back. Max? Not really. "I mean . . . she took a selfie in class yesterday. That's about it."  
Victoria had developed a serious case of stick-up-the-ass about Max Caulfield recently. Sure, anyone who rolled with Rachel Amber tended to mocked relentlessly, but Max seemed particularly targeted. Taylor wondered why. She hadn't exactly been making waves.

"Yeah! And she still got praised for it! It's bullshit."

Courtney leaned back against one of the pillars while Taylor fished out a roll of Ritz from her bag. Victoria glanced at the package for a second before looking in her own bag for something to eat. Courtney pulled out a sandwich, Victoria a muffin that looked like it had been nabbed from the cafeteria.  
It was a rule: if Taylor ate, the others would eat with her. She appreciated how they remembered.

Courtney hummed for a second after her first bite, but then she said, "Maybe she's fucking him. Jefferson."

"What?" Victoria asked. "Caulfield?" Then she broke out laughing.  
Taylor made a point to laugh too, although she really didn't find that funny. She mostly found it really, really gross.

"Oh, god no. No, I don't think Max has that in her - she's not like Rachel. Whatever Mark's fascination is with her, it looks pretty one-sided." Victoria shook her head before biting her muffin. For some reason, she looked genuinely pleased by Courtney's comment.

Courtney picked up on that, too, and it just encouraged her, "Oh, Mr. Jefferson, I'm sorry I couldn't turn in my Everyday Heroes photo, but here's one of me getting double penetrated by Rachel and Chloe. I hope you . . ." Courtney looked Victoria up and down in what Taylor assumed was her best attempt at a seductive glance, leaning forward while Victoria giggled into the back of her hand. ". . . like it," she whispered, and Taylor snorted.

Courtney actually sounded a lot like Max for some reason, so her impression was spot-on. That's what made the scenario way grosser, and apparently what was making Victoria hang her head down as she laughed.

"Is, uh, Chloe the blue one?" Taylor pointed to her hair. "The one always hanging around campus?"

Courtney leaned back against the pillar with a satisfied smirk. "Yeah, that's her. She used to go to a lot of Vortex Club parties up until like a year ago." Courtney took a bite out of her sandwich, and Victoria was finally recovering from laughing. Once her head was back up, though, Victoria's eyes snapped right to someone approaching the steps.

Juliet.

Taylor turned her attention back towards Courtney and said, "Well, I guess Chloe stopped coming because she found out about us."

Courtney's eyes and eyebrows suggested way too much surprise for what Taylor was sure was incidental curiosity, and Vic turned her head away from Juliet, head cocked in question.

Taylor's eyes opened wide and she said, "She figured out . . . that we're a cult."

And Taylor snorted at her own joke the instant it was out, cackling with laughter before the other two joined in.

Juliet paused in front of the dorm steps, waiting quietly while they laughed. There was no way she hadn't heard the joke. Taylor knew that was the point, but there was still a twinge of guilt when she let herself look up at Juliet's face.

It was flat, betraying only the signs of her impatience.

Victoria scooted out of the way. "Oh, sorry Juliet, I didn't mean to get in your way. I'm sure you have a very important article to write about the horrors of being best friends with a slut."

Juliet already had a foot on the first step, but she paused when Victoria went on. The way her feet were planted, Juliet's body faced Victoria with her back to Taylor, but Taylor could still clearly see how her hands tightened into fists, how she hunched over as if she were going to punch Victoria out.

Instead, she spat, "Fuck you, Victoria," and then marched into the dorm room with as much composure as possible.

Taylor and her friends laughed while she retreated into the dorms, but that twinge was morphing into a stabbing pain.

 _We hurt her. We hurt her a lot._

I _hurt her._

When Taylor's laughter died away, she started to bite her nails, although they were long since worn away to nubs.

* * *

When lunch ended, Taylor still had to run upstairs to grab her photograph. She had waited until the last second to put something together for the Everyday Heroes contest, and she still hadn't taken the time to print it out. It was shit, anyway. Her only hope is that Max wouldn't turn a photo in at all, so she wouldn't be quite the worst in class.  
God only knows she'd be the one to get shit for it, though. Never Max.

Speaking of Max, she was chatting with Rachel, descending the stairway as Taylor ascended. Either they hadn't noticed she was there, or they weren't paying her any mind.

"I honestly don't know what's gotten into Chloe this past cycle," Rachel said, "but it's not just you, I promise. She's been really snappy with Joyce, too. And me."

At this point, the three of them were on the same landing, but Rachel did nothing more than wave. Max didn't even seem to notice Taylor passing.

Max's head was hung low, eyes darting about as if trying to remember an answer. It was the look she always had in class, too. Maybe she was just permanently confused.

"Do you think . . . do you think it's because of me? I know she didn't expect me to come back into her life, especially like this, and I-"

"Oh, shush, Max. There's no one Chloe would rather team up with. She might just be feeling . . ." Max pushed open the steel door for Rachel, holding it open for her even though it was awkward. Taylor only caught the last few words before they were both gone: ". . . a little less special these days."

Max, Chloe, and Rachel. Courtney was right - it looks like they were a little trio. And it looks like they talked about each other behind each other's backs, too. Still, nothing about what they were saying felt particularly slimy, which was how it always felt when Victoria brought up Courtney. They just sounded concerned.

When Taylor emerged from her room a few minutes later, she noticed the door to Dana's room cracked a little. From the hall, she couldn't hear anything but low murmuring. So, naturally, she crept up to the corner of the door, peeking her head in just enough to hear through the crack between the door and its frame.

"I just don't get why I'm being punished! _She's_ the bitch! They're the bullies. But Logan and Josh and all of Zach's friends are being mean to me. Like, what the hell? Why are guys like this?"

Juliet. Of course. She was always coming to Dana for stuff, and she was shit about closing doors.

There was a long sigh, and a sniffle. Dana and Juliet, respectively. Juliet cried so easily.

"I . . . I don't know, hun. That whole group - they're pigs. Bigfoots have big assholes."

There was choked laughter from inside. Taylor could see just a sliver of the room from here, but it was just the right sliver. Juliet was curled on the edge of Dana's bed, resting her head on Dana's shoulder. Dana still had that look in her eyes, beyond Juliet, beyond her room. Where was she? Not here.

"And no one? No one's mad at Victoria. Of course they're not. Nobody ever does shit to her, but she acts like it's time for guerrilla warfare 24/7. What did I even _do_ to her?"

Dana's eyes were still looking past Juliet, but Taylor wasn't convinced they weren't here anymore. They had crept up steadily, peering through Taylor's crack in the door frame, and now Taylor wasn't so sure she was invisible.

Dana's mouth twisted in disgust. Taylor had been seen, but she didn't know how to move.

Dana said, "You didn't do anything. It's her. It's them. They stomp on people." She wasn't looking away, and Taylor wasn't either. "I think they're afraid."

"Afraid of _what_?" Juliet asked, but Taylor remained uncertain of the reply. She was going to be late for class, so very late for class. She couldn't keep being late.

* * *

Jefferson had barely even looked at Taylor's photo when she handed it in. She got a short 'thanks, Taylor' in acknowledgement, and then she was out of class. Victoria stayed behind, probably still in hopes of buttering Jefferson up on her entry (what chance did any of them have to win when Rachel was entering?).

Taylor had had enough of this day. She ducked into the girls' bathroom straight away, glad to find it empty. She didn't normally smoke without Victoria around, but it seemed like every hour just kept getting progressively shittier, and Taylor had made it through all five periods. It was time to check out.

She sat in the far-end stall, trying to think as little as possible. It wasn't working. For the few days that she and Victoria had been working together to write those sexts to Zachary (she would say back-and-forth, but he clearly had no fucking grasp of sex appeal or spelling), it had just seemed fun. Zachary was trash, and they were bagging up the trash. Letting Juliet in on what type of scumbag she was dating was just part of Taylor's eternal motto: dump him. Boys, especially boys like Zach, aren't worth a moment of anyone's time.

It was different when Victoria brought up the second part. Taylor still had no idea if she thought of it in the moment or had known she would do it the whole time. Tell Juliet about the messages, but say they were between Dana and Zach. That would make them look genuine. It would punish Juliet for stepping out of line, for calling out Nathan and Victoria in that stupid fucking article.

If Taylor was being honest with herself, part of her liked that part of the plan. Juliet was annoying. She was always butting into things that weren't her business. She called Max and Rachel 'dykes' as if no one could hear her. She was always crying in Dana's room. She was always so scathing about the drugs at Vortex Club parties, but she always got drunk like everyone else.  
Juliet was under the impression that she could see everything, but not for one goddamn second could she seem to see herself.

It was just the other part that Taylor didn't like. The choice of scapegoat. It was obvious why it was the most painful - by having Dana and Zach betray Juliet at the same time, she had no one to go to. No one except the people who had let her in on what was happening, the ones who orchestrated the whole thing: Victoria and Taylor. It was clever. It was clever in a way that Taylor never was.

It almost worked, and Taylor didn't know if she felt sick knowing it could have worked, or that it didn't.

 _Now, now. Think less, smile more_.  
Taylor took her second hit, and although she knew it couldn't really be doing anything just yet, she felt better already. It always hit her strong, stronger than it reasonably should, and it made her feel warm, just a little bit dizzy.

She did her best to lean back, eyes closed. She knew it was futile to try and get comfortable on these toilet seats, but it didn't stop her from trying.

The door to the bathroom opened. In days gone by, that would have been enough to make her pull up her legs and hide, but she had long since stopped giving a shit.

Whoever it was, they went straight for the faucet. They turned the water on high, they let the water pool in their hands, and splashed water on their face.

Taylor wanted to take another hit, and then she'd be done. She just didn't want to do it with someone in here, so she rolled the glass a little between her fingers. It was pretty, really, the prettiest one she'd ever had - it was an obvious parody of the Moon Stick, and the glass was all pastel pinks and yellows. Taylor had been trying very hard not to break this one.

The door opened again, and Taylor at first did not think much of it. Not until the first pair of feet jumped, and Taylor realized who it was.

"Jesus, Zach!" Juliet cried. She took a step back, towards the stall Taylor was in.  
Then, as the door closed, she spoke more quietly, "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Now, now it was time for Taylor to pull up her legs. _Fuck._ She'd never imagined they'd have a confrontation right in front of her. That was much, much too real for her right now. She wasn't even high yet.

"No one, like, ever uses this bathroom."  
God, if Zachary sounded dumb normally, he was twice as bad whenever he explained something.  
"Besides, I need to talk to you."

Juliet's feet stopped retreating, planting themselves more firmly. "Well _I_ need to not talk to _you_. Okay? Now get the fuck out."

"No, not okay. You stopped texting me back."

"That's because you cheated on me, asshole, and I had a fight with my best friend. It's a bigger deal for me to make up with her than you."

There was a hollow thud like Zach thumped himself on the chest. "Hey, I did not cheat on you. I would not do that. Besides, no one would sleep with Victoria - it's bad voodoo."

"Oh, well I'm glad that a curse can keep your dick out of Miss Rich Bitch, but excuse me if I don't feel the romance. I'm done, Zach."

Juliet made her way for the exit, but stumbled. Zach grabbed her.

Taylor flinched. _Let her go, asshole._

Juliet seemed to be of the same mind: "Let me go, Zach. I'm done with this conversation."

There was nothing she could do, of course. Zach was huge, and Juliet hadn't yet learned that a swift kick to the groin will nullify most size advantages. For Juliet, boys weren't for fighting. At least, not in the same way.

"Hey, no, I'm not done talking to you. You've got to hear me out, all right?"

Taylor didn't like how this was going. Determined as she was to stay out of it, she couldn't stand to hear Zach talking to Juliet like this. It was Taylor and Victoria who had fucked up their relationship - Juliet didn't need to keep struggling. It wasn't her fault.  
She stuck her pipe in a plastic baggy and shoved it in her bag, then dropped her feet back onto the tile.

"Zachary, get your hands OFF OF ME."

Taylor unlatched the stall door and stepped out. "You heard her dude, you need to - whoah."

The scene in front of Taylor was wrong, all wrong. Yes, Juliet stood there, arm trapped by hands far, far larger than hers. But where Taylor had expected Zachary to be, she saw only darkness.  
Or maybe darkness wasn't quite the right way to describe it - it was like a Jack O'Lantern. There was a shadow that seemed to waver, not quite fitting into the shape of a boy's body. Where his face should have been, there were instead giant holes that flickered like flame, orifices that didn't quite fit where his eyes and mouth should have been. His mouth wasn't really a mouth, just a gash far too wide for his face, and fire danced in it.

Taylor blinked, trying to focus past the hallucination, trying to remember exactly what she was going to say. But even though she was staring right at it, it wasn't going away.  
Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the day she finally met a devil.

Juliet stopped struggling, turning to face back towards Taylor.

"Taylor? What are you doing here?"

Taylor wish she knew what expression Zach was making, whether he was looking at Juliet or her. She wanted to know how afraid she should be, reasonably. But the shade in her hallucination was distracting her, pulling her out of the moment, taking away her will to confront.

"Trying to . . . get Zach to go away, I guess." Taylor blinked, then focused on Juliet.  
"Hey, um, Juliet, would you mind telling me if Zach has been replaced by some sort of shadow monster? I think I'm kinda freaking out."

Juliet's face twisted with confusion, eyes darting back to Zachary for just a second. "What the fuck are you talking ab-"

In no way did Taylor expect Zach's other hand to come up, to grasp Juliet's face, so smash the back of her head against the wall. Taylor screamed as Juliet slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"What the FUCK?!"

Zachary was already striding towards her, pieces of his clothing just barely visible underneath the shifting shade that covered his body. His fingers were long and pointed, and although the situation had already given her enough to freak out, that detail was enough to send her over the edge.

"How? How can you see me?" Zach asked, jabbing one of those giant fingers at his own chest.

Taylor had no clue what he was talking about, but she figured it was time to protect herself. She dashed back into the corner of the bathroom with the cleaning supplies to grab the mop, but Zach was right around the corner as soon as she had it in her hand.

"Get AWAY from me, dude," Taylor shouted, jabbing the handle of the mop towards his chest.

And when she did, he froze. The giant, glowing holes where his eyes almost should be stopped shambling towards her, and they looked down.

The mop wasn't a mop anymore. It was not indistinct, like the hallucination - the detail on it was amazing. Extended between them was a long, dark brown staff, intricately carved. She didn't exactly have time to study it, but she could see that thin ridges had been cut all along it, with small lines emerging from them, like the spine of a leaf. At the head of the staff, somehow embedded in it, was a large red stone, unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Um," Taylor said, slowly lowering the mop-staff between them.

"You're . . . a witch," Zachary said, but it sounded less like Zachary now. It sounded lower, garbled. Distorted.

"I'm a what now?" Taylor asked. She sounded dumb. She sounded dumb like Zachary right now.

"A witch," he said again.  
Finally, those eyes rose back to meet Taylor's again. He was so close now. She preferred it when they were both staring at the staff.

"You have to-" he started, reaching forward, his hand coming towards her face.

"Back off!" She cried, jabbing the staff forward again.

This time, though, it worked. As if he were an egg fired from a catapult, Zach was launched backwards, smashing into the wall underneath the small window of the bathroom.

"Oh! God . . . shit!" Taylor said, somewhere between whispering and screaming, as Zachary slumped to the floor. She stamped her feet as she tried to figure out what had just happened, but things only got worse from there.

After maybe ten seconds of just lying there, Zach suddenly gasped, his shimmering mouth falling open, so open that Taylor could see the roaring fire inside the darkness. The gasp did not stop, but grew higher and louder until the darkness covering his body began to squirm. There was no other way to describe it - it twisted and shifted around him as if it were struggling to breath. After another moment of this, the darkness pulled away from his body, funneled through the air like someone spinning steam with their hands. The siphon became a fine line, pouring through the air towards Taylor, who couldn't even flinched as it made contact with the stone on her staff.

After a few more seconds, the darkness had been dragged away from Zach's body, and it had all disappeared into the shiny red stone atop Taylor's staff.

Taylor wasn't sure at what point she ended up on the ground, the staff lying next to her as she cried. She had no clue what was going on, but she was terrified. She had two unconscious teenagers in the girls' bathroom with her, she had drugs in her bag, and she was having some sort of nervous breakdown.

It only got worse when she went to check on Juliet. A brief check of her mouth confirmed that she was breathing, and a check of her hair let Taylor know she wasn't bleeding. Taylor had just got it in her mind to leave them there like that when she stood up and looked in the mirror.

And that's where things got even worse, because Taylor realized what she was wearing.

Of course, no, it wasn't the jean jacket and t-shirt she was supposed to be wearing. No, it wasn't her dark pants and flats. It was none of that.  
Instead, Taylor was wearing some sort of black dress. It was thick and airy, more like . . . robes? Was she wearing robes?!  
And jewelry! She was wearing jewelry! There were golden bangles, inlaid with (fake, right?) tiny gemstones, and and a ring around her left middle finger. Her right hand was wrapped with some sort of lace, like in a fingerless glove that extended up to her forearm.

Taylor was in . . . in . . .  
Well she had no idea what it was, but it was way, way too goth for her tastes.

Taylor felt warm. Way, way too warm. She must have a fever. She turned on the faucet, and tried to just use her left hand to pool water. It wasn't extremely effective, but she at least got enough to splash her face with.

And, of course, when she looked back in the mirror, that weird outfit was gone, and her regular clothes were back. A quick check of her hands confirmed that she was, in fact, back in her jean jacket.

"What . . . the fuck . . ." was about all she managed.

"T-Taylor?"  
Down next to Taylor's feet, Juliet was waking back up.

Taylor crouched down next to her. "Oh my god, you're okay. Amazing. Okay. Wow."

"Where's . . . Zach?" Juliet asked. Her eyes weren't completely focusing. She might have a concussion or something.

Taylor's eyes slipped past Juliet to Zach's unconscious body some feet behind them. "He, uh, he left. And I'm going to get you back to your room, okay? Come on."

Taylor offered out her hand, and slowly, Juliet took it.  
"Did I hit my head?" Juliet asked as Taylor pulled her up. Pulling anything was not Taylor's strong suit, but they both managed to get standing without immediately falling to the ground, so that was something.

"Yeah, Juliet, pretty hard. I'm just gonna walk with you, okay?"

"Okay."

And they stumbled out of the girls' bathroom together, making their way back to the dorms.

They were about halfway up the stairwell when Juliet indicated the door. She could, reasonably, walk on her own at this point, but Taylor had kept an arm around her waist to keep her stable. People had looked as they made their way across the quad, but nobody had asked any questions.

"Huh? Dana's room?"

Juliet nodded. "Yeah I . . . don't want to be alone if Zach's like, freaking out."

"Gotcha."

Dana answered quickly after they knocked, looking surprised before she even saw them there. However, her surprise quickly doubled when she saw Juliet and Taylor standing there, linked together.

"Oh God, Juliet, are you all right?"

Taylor did her best to pass Juliet off, but she didn't budge, even when Dana opened up her arms to grab her.  
"I can walk, I can walk. Like, I'm fine, I'm just going to sit down."

And she trudged into the room right past Dana, who stayed in the doorway with Taylor. Dana's eyes followed Juliet back into the room until she plopped down on the bed, although she winced as soon as she did so.

Taylor pointed past Dana as she turned her attention forward, "I, uh, I think she's like not supposed to sleep for 24 hours or something. If she has a concussion."

"A concussion?" Dana took a step forward, nearly closing her door behind her as Taylor retreated into the hall. It was substantially less private, but at least they couldn't _see_ anyone else. "What the hell happened?"

"Zach," Taylor replied, "he, um . . . he . . ."  
Got covered in spooky shadows, got super violent, then called me a witch before I ripped out his soul or something.

"Zach did that?" Dana asked.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, he uh, he grabbed her head and he," she shaped her hand like he had when he'd grabbed Juliet's face, "uh, hit her with a wall. Really hard."

Dana brought her own hand up to her face, resting her forehead in it. "My god, what a piece of shit. I knew he was pissed but I can't believe he'd . . ."

"Assault her?"

Dana nodded. The faraway look in her eyes was gone, replaced with a pinch on her brow and a familiar look of guilt. She'd been trading between these two faces a lot lately. Taylor was worried. She had no way of saying so.

"Don't trust people you can't beat up," Taylor said with a shrug. As if she could beat up anybody.

Dana gave a bit of a snort, but it didn't quite make it to a laugh. "Is that some sort of Victoria motto?"

Taylor shook her head. "No, it's just . . ." but Dana was looking at her right now, and her train of thought got lost. Lost out of this moment, back through the previous times their eyes had met. It reminded her how Dana must see her and Victoria as one and the same - guilty when Victoria was guilty, afraid when Victoria was afraid. It was fair, seeing nothing but Victoria's shadow, but it made Taylor feel small.

Taylor swallowed. "I-I think I owe you an apology."

Dana closed her door entirely this time. These words didn't seem to surprise her - the response was too quick.  
Dana looked back at her again once the door was closed and asked, "For what." It wasn't really a question, Taylor thought, but it demanded an answer.

Anxiety made Taylor's body cold. It was basically impossible to rub her arms warm through the jean jacket, but it definitely didn't stop her from trying.

"I . . . well, I was the one who came up with the idea to sext Zachary. So what happened between Zach and Juliet, and between Juliet and you . . . that's my fault."

Dana bit her upper lip while Taylor spoke. When she was done speaking, she took a long, deep breath, like a singer doing exercises. The breath puffed her up like a cat, making her bigger, Taylor smaller. Taylor would like to tell herself it was courage that kept her rooted just inches away, but really, it was fear that rooted her in place - all of her courage had evaporated after everything that happened with Zach.

And Dana breathed out, shakily.

And finally, when she went to speak, Dana's face transformed into something raw, and hurt, and angry, and it twisted Taylor's guts.  
"Why?" she asked. "Why would you do that? That was so fucked. You hurt her a lot before Zach did."

Taylor tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. She wanted to look away, but that wasn't her strong suit when stressed.  
"I don't know. It was all so petty, I know it was." And Taylor finally managed to break Dana's eye contact, look away just enough to erect a barrier between them. "And I hurt you too. I'm sorry."

Dana looked down both ends of the hall. Taylor had no idea what she was looking for.  
She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Yeah, you did."

There was a long, quiet moment. Now that Taylor had looked away, she couldn't bring herself to look back at those eyes Dana had. They were so much like Rachel's, pulling you in and trapping you. The difference is, Rachel always knew to look away, to free you after a moment. Dana didn't even seem to realize what she was doing.

"Is there anything I can do?" Taylor asked. "To fix this?"

Dana paused to think for a minute, but when she replied, it almost sounded dismissive.  
"Grow up, Taylor," she said.

And then she left Taylor all alone in the hallway.

Her breathing was shallow by the time she got inside her own bedroom. She shouldn't be alone right now, and she knew it. She pulled out her phone.

 **Taylor:** vic, can I take a nap in your room? i'm having a really bad day

 **Victoria:** Sure sweetie  
 **Victoria:** But what's up?

 **Taylor:** i'll talk to you about it when you're back  
 **Taylor:** when will you be home?

 **Victoria:** In like fifteen. I'll be right there.

 **Taylor:** thanks  
 **Taylor:** ily

 **Victoria:** I love you too, sweet-T

Taylor let herself into Victoria's room, crawling underneath her covers. The warmth helped with her anxiety, Victoria knew that, but it was the smell of her and weed and wine that helped Taylor calm down almost instantly.

A few minutes later, Taylor got a message over Messenger.

 **Dana:** Look, thanks for helping Juliet, okay? Zach being an asshole is not your fault. But don't you or victoria fucking ever do that to my friend again, okay?

Taylor only managed a short reply.

 **Taylor:** Okay. I'm sorry.

And then, one more.

 **Taylor:** Zach won't ever touch her again. I promise.

 **Dana:** No, he won't.

And that was enough for Taylor to breathe.


	2. Episode 2: End of the World

Yesterday had been a fucking nightmare on so many levels, and Taylor was really looking forward to forgetting it.  
Victoria hadn't had a clue why Taylor burst into tears as soon as she got into bed with her, and Taylor wasn't really in a state to explain it to her. Why had she helped Victoria frame Dana? What happened between her and Zach? Was he even okay? Was Juliet going to be okay? What were those clothes? What was that staff? What had he meant when he said she was a witch? And why did it hurt so much that somebody she actively antagonized didn't like her?

Taylor had spent the night in Victoria's bed, doing absolutely no homework and somehow falling even more deeply in love with Victoria although literally all they did was watch Netflix while Taylor curled up on her chest. It was enough to bring some sort of calm, and it lingered on her like the smell from Victoria's bed, although she was pretty sure that was just because she'd borrowed one of Vic's cardigans. So, when Taylor left the dorms to chill by her usual tree(/shrine of misdirected male aggressive sexuality towards Rachel) in the morning, she was doing her very best to just not think about yesterday whatsoever.

Luckily, a distraction was quick to appear.

Warren Graham was standing at the edge of the principal's office, leaning out from behind the wall. As soon as Taylor was out on the steps he ducked back behind the wall, but by the time she'd made it to the tree, he was already checking to see if she was still there. She ignored him, settling down next to the tree and making a point not to look at him at all.

 _Fucking creep._

* * *

"So what's his deal, anyway?"

It was weight training day today, and Rachel, who unlike Taylor could actually use the leg press machine without hurting herself, extended her legs out so she could see Taylor's face again. She cocked her head curiously (as well as could be expected), and asked, "Uh, who?"

 _Oh, right._ "Warren. The kid with the greasy hair who comes in to see Max during photography."

Rachel snorted, and went back to doing the presses. "Okay, yeah. Uh. He really likes obscure movies, but not in like a movie buff way, he just . . . really likes them and gets Max and Chloe to watch them. And he thinks that we're friends just because he hangs out with us sometimes."

"Are you?"

Rachel was quiet except for the panting while she thought on it, then she pushed the weights far enough that they set in place. She shrugged. "I guess. Help me up?"

Taylor reached down to help her stand up after she basically rolled out of it, although she bounced up with such vigor that Taylor couldn't imagine she helped at all. Still, it was worth it to see Rachel shining her bright smile just for her for a moment.  
"Thanks bae," she said, releasing Taylor's hand.

Taylor had more to ask, but it got lost. Rachel was pretty magnetic, mesmerizing even, but when she was really close there was no amount of willpower or shame that could make you look away. Her eyes were bright and hazel, and Taylor was thankful for every glance they gave her. When they held her for a moment, though . . . well, luckily Rachel knew never to let them hold you more than a moment.

"That's not really what you were asking about though, is it?" Rachel finally looked away, towards where Logan was doing bench presses (Zach was spotting him, but he hadn't done much today because he 'has a wicked headache, dude'), making her nervous tic to brush away hair that was pulled up.

Taylor copied her, and then said, "Not really, no. I just . . ." How to put it. "Well, like a week or two ago I started noticing him up really early, spying on the girls' dorms from the courtyard. But I mean, I even checked the spot where he stands and you can't see anything. It's just like, people's laptops and potted succulents. So it's not like he's being a pervert."

Taylor had learned long ago that if you talk in a really flat tone and normal volume in a crowded setting, nobody ever picks up what you're saying. It was the exact opposite of Victoria's way of telling secrets - secluding yourself but talking so loudly and clearly, so everyone was sure to here - and much, much more effective at actual secret-keeping. Rachel wasn't quite so good at it, but she rarely seemed to care if people overheard her.  
They made their way to one of those leg-weight arm-pressing things. As Taylor sat down, making no effort to even appear that she was doing exercise, Rachel responded, "Well, no, I think he's definitely being a pervert, just not the kind you're used to. He's not looking for girls' tits. He's looking for girls with bedhead and no makeup. It's really a thing for some guys to see girls be . . . vulnerable, I think."

Taylor didn't get it, but it made her feel gross anyway. "That doesn't make any sense." She started making a feeble effort to pull in the machine's arms, finding it completely immobile.

"Uhh, hang on. Somebody left it at sixty."

After Rachel adjusted the weight to twenty, she said, "I mean, I'm not sure you're even capable of thinking like a perverted boy. You're so . . . wholesome."

Taylor gave her a heavy-lidded glare. Deadpan, Taylor said, "Is that some kind of backhanded compliment?" Taylor was used to those from Victoria when she wanted to push them into doing something stupid.

Rachel rolled her eyes, though. "No, no no no. I just mean, like. I don't know. You've got this like, reverence in you for girls. I don't think guys have that. Not like you."

Rachel was looking down at Taylor again while she pulled her fatigued arms together over and over, and her eyes seemed to trace so clearly up Taylor's body it was like there was a tingle crawling up her. By the time Rachel looked her in the eye, Taylor was blushing, she knew it, but exercise always made her red, so nobody would notice. Would they?

Reverence. Taylor was so used to only hearing that word used in church. It made her feel like her love for women was idolatrous on top of being abominable.  
She liked it.

* * *

"So, I have this question."

They were in the locker rooms now, back to having Taylor's locker door between their faces. Taylor was already dressed again, but Rachel took forever as she apparently couldn't talk and change at the same time.

"Okay, Rachel. What's your question?"

"Hold on, just . . . let me finish changing."

"Oh?" _Rachel's actually waiting to make something less awkward?_

It was Wednesday, which was usually Taylor's favorite day of the week, starting now. Photography lab every week was just a project that you had a whole period to do. The most important part was that you could leave campus, so long as you were back with ten minutes to spare, and you could leave during lunch, too. Taylor and Victoria were planning on heading out to the lighthouse, even if it didn't seem like an ideal spot for the week's exploration of chiaroscuro. It was just Taylor's favorite place, and Victoria could rarely resist indulging Taylor for long.

Taylor closed her locker once Rachel had her shirt on, an expectant look on her face. In place of her usual enthusiastic self, though, Rachel was fidgeting with her earring again, a slight delay between being able to see Taylor and seeming to recognize that she was there.

"Now what's your question?" Taylor asked.

"You know the End of the World Party tomorrow?" Rachel asked, as if it were a sincere question.

 _Of course I do? We have a party almost every Thursday, there are signs everywhere, and Courtney is the lead organizer for the Vortex Club?_  
"Yeah."

"Do you want to _go_ with me?" Rachel was doing that super-expressive eyebrow thing where she didn't actually emphasize the word 'go' but quirked her eyebrow up on it, and Taylor did not know what that meant.

Taylor shrugged. "I mean, I was already planning on going. It's a Vortex Club thing and all, and I hear DJ Doom is pretty good."

Most other people had left the locker room by now, and Taylor was itching to leave for the parking lot as quickly as she could. But Rachel wasn't moving to leave just yet.

Rachel shook her head, "No, um. I mean like as a date."

 _Oh._

 _Oh my god._

 _Ohmygodohmygod._

Rachel finally managed to meet Taylor's eyes, or Taylor finally looked her directly in the face, or something happened, but Taylor was looking Rachel right in the eyes again and she was paralyzed while her mind yelled at her _Yes please; Yes please; Yes please!; Yes pLEASE!_

Taylor swallowed, blinking a few times in an attempt to break the trance. Rachel needed an answer, and Taylor had never wanted to give her one so badly.

* * *

"You're going on a date with RACHEL. AMBER?"

Taylor had kind of figured Victoria would react this way. She had always tried to keep her gym class friendship with Rachel quiet, even if Victoria knew it was happening, for the sake of their relationship at least partly based on gossip and slander. It was pretty well established that time with Victoria was _Victoria's time_ , and Taylor was okay with that, but it was going to be way weirder if she showed up with Rachel tomorrow and Victoria didn't already know. After all, what if they were holding hands?(?!)

Taylor bit her lip to make sure she wouldn't smile (or you know, grin) at the question, nodding. "Mmhmm."

The expression on Victoria's face was hilarious, made only better by the huge sunglasses she was wearing and the wind ruffling her hair as they were definitely speeding on the highway. It was some mix of shock, rage, and horror, and they were all so obviously being held on to and tempered as much as Victoria could bear. She also couldn't seem to come up with a follow-up question. "I . . . since when . . . but . . . what? Why?"

Why did she ask me or why did I say yes? I don't have answers to either of those questions.

Taylor shrugged. "It seemed fun, I guess."

Victoria gave a little sigh of disgust, but it seemed like she wasn't going to contest that. Instead, she asked, "Do you even like her?"

Now, that was a surprising question. Victoria usually made a pretty active point to avoid asking about who Taylor liked, because in the past several years the whole endeavor of liking a girl had seemed like a trap. That certainly hadn't changed when Rachel started being more open about being queer, not for Victoria, but for Taylor . . . it had added another fantasy just outside of her reach. Or so, she had thought.

Taylor shrugged again. "I don't know. But I don't really dislike her."

Maybe Victoria was rolling her eyes, Taylor couldn't really tell. "That's not much reason to date someone though, T."

Taylor had intended on not getting pissed off regardless of what Victoria said, just to bite it and keep going. She definitely hadn't expected that _that's_ what would do it.  
"Vic, you know that the only person to have ever asked me out was Hayden freshmen year? Back when Courtney still liked him, and when I told him I was a lesbian, he just said he could 'work with that'?"

Victoria nodded, mouth curling down. Guilt? Disgust? It wasn't clear. "Yeah, of course I know that."

Frustration was finally making it into Taylor's voice, though she was trying to keep it down. "Well, yeah! So a girl asked me out. A popular, _out_ one, who nobody's going to make fun of me for going on a date with."

Taylor could tell that stung a little harder than she meant it to. People made fun of Taylor constantly for being Victoria's 'bitch', and the fact that 1) she was a lesbian, 2) Victoria hadn't dated any boys and was _believed_ to be a lesbian, despite pretty clear denial, 3) Victoria had short hair (people honestly thought that Victoria was butch and Taylor was femme because they were fucking _blind_ and stupid) added up to a whole slew of taunting. But they both knew people would treat them both better if it even appeared Taylor had a girlfriend. Other than Victoria, of course.

They pulled into the beach parking lot at the start to the trail up to the lighthouse, and Victoria parked and shut off the car before responding. She sighed, pushed up her glasses, and rubbed her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I'll play nice for an evening. I'll probably just get drunk and listen to the music anyway."

Taylor doubted that. Vortex Club parties were prime hunting ground for Victoria's politics and plots, and she almost never rested as long as one was going on. Still, she'd take the offer. "Thanks, Vic. I love you."

Victoria smirked, pushing Taylor's shoulder as she opened her door. "Love you too, sweet-T. Now come on, we've got lab."

Taylor groaned, but got out of the car anyway.

* * *

Thursday didn't go nearly as well as Wednesday, but what were the odds of any day being better than being asked out by Rachel and getting an hour to spend with Victoria at the light house? But, anyway, Taylor didn't have gym on Thursdays, so when she got out of lunch she found texts from three different people waiting for her.

 **Courtney:** Taylor, IF you have a DATE then I get to DRESS YOU UP. This is a key part of BEST FRIENDSHIP.  
 **Courtney:** I've only got like an hour after school before I have to go set up the EotW party so like you'll have to come over right after.

Ugh. Courtney was going to try and get her to dress fashionably for a party, and that meant no long sleeves. Was she trying to ruin the date? Still, Courtney really _would_ ruin the date if Taylor didn't comply.

 **Rachel:** FUCK! i am so so so so sorry i totally forgot about something.  
 **Rachel:** i have this thing i have to do with my mom tonight so i cant go to the party, which is our date, im a huge bitch but i swear ill make it up to you like ASAP  
 **Rachel:** please forgive me, i am but a humble lion who is useless 19 hours of the day

 _Fuck_. Taylor had been thinking about little else all day. She had been talking about little else all day. Now going to the party sounded lame and stupid and sad.

 **Taylor:** no no it's no problem! ^^ are you free this weekend?  
 **Taylor:** i heard there's a drive-in playing planet of the apes this saturday if you like colonial racism justifications.

That was probably the smartest-sounding thing Taylor had ever said to Rachel, so she hoped she wouldn't know that it was an article all over Facebook a few weeks ago.

 **Rachel:** haha i mean i dont but...  
 **Rachel:** im actually not free Saturday either :(  
 **Rachel:** i could do sunday tho!  
 **Rachel:** plz tell me youre free sunday i am a scrub, a deep-sea dwelling crustacean with no concept of light or humanity but i would love to take you out sunday

God, how did Rachel manage to both massively disappoint Taylor and also make her smile within the span of ten seconds?

 **Taylor:** oh let me check my very-busy calender

She switched over to her Clock app, set the timer to three minutes, and checked her other message in the meantime.

 **Dana:** Hey, Taylor, could you do me a small, very small favor and ask Courtney to pull Logan off the VIP list for the party tonight?

 _That's not a small favor._

 **Taylor:** that's actually not a small favor but also sure? Why tho?

 **Dana:** It's kind of a long story but he's kind of been following me around, putting notes in my locker and kind of stalker shit like that. I just really want to be able to go with Justin in peace and I think he'll make that possible.

 **Taylor:** Oh wow.

The timer went off, but this seemed kind of important.

 **Taylor:** yeah i'll ask her. i can't really guarantee anything because she's like the guest czar but yeah  
 **Taylor:** i'm really sorry he's being such a creep. i hate guys like that

Dana took a while to do replies, even if it was lunch time, so Taylor tapped back to Rachel.

 **Taylor:** oh wow it looks like i'm super free every sunday ever since i cursed god like Job's heretic wife and began practicing homosexuality  
 **Taylor:** so how about you come up with a date, buy me ice cream, and i will forgive you

 **Rachel:** deal  
 **Rachel:** thank you for unburdening me from sin

 **Taylor:** my pleasure

 _Oh my fucking god I'm flirting! This is happening!_

But before she forgot, Courtney needed to know about this stuff.

 **Taylor:** hey courtney, so two things. one is that Rachel can't go to the party tonight, so no date, so no dress up. sorry  
 **Taylor:** two, dana asked if you would pull Logan from the VC VIP list. apparently he's acting like a total creep lately and she wants to chill with her new bf(?)

 **Courtney:** I mean sure. It's not like I enjoy watching an enormous jock get drunk every week as we foot the bill.

 **Taylor:** okay but the Prescotts are paying for this one

 **Courtney:** Okay, yeah, sure, technically true. But I'm fine kicking Logan out so Dana can chill. Maybe she'll chill Juliet out, too.

 **Taylor:** yeah maybe

Dana had definitely replied by now. Also Taylor definitely should have been getting ready for third period by now, but instead she kept laying in bed, just happy to be out of the sun. It had been so damn hot lately.

 **Dana:** I don't hate him I just... can't deal with him right now.  
 **Dana:** Thanks, though. I owe you one.  
 **Dana:** Or two now, I guess.

 **Taylor:** you don't owe me anything.  
 **Taylor:** but i've got you. Logan's out, you're in

 **Dana:** Thank god. Okay. Great.  
 **Dana:** I'll see you at the party, right?

Yeah, the super-lame, no-Rachel-dancing party with an expensive DJ and far too many shirtless boys.

 **Taylor:** duh

 **Dana:** Cool. I'll see you there, then.

Were the two of them friends? It was impossible for Taylor to tell. If anything, the past two days had taught her that she had a pretty poor understanding of her relationships with some people.

* * *

Taylor arrived late to the party (as she usually did) and was a little high already (as she usually was). Actually, no, she was pretty high this time in hopes that she'd still have fun despite the fact that Rachel wasn't there.

It was pretty bright in the school pool, especially near the DJ's stage where Taylor was dancing, which felt weird when almost all of the lights were placed on the ground. It gave everyone's faces, and the building itself, a pretty spooky vibe, drenched in this red light that seemed to miss everybody's eyes. Hayden seemed to be making the most of it, having dragged in several couches just inside the VIP area, now amusing himself and a few stoned girls with smoke tricks. Jefferson was supposed to be coming to the party later, and yet Hayden and basically everyone else was making no effort to hide their drug paraphernalia, nevermind the mock concession stand giving out shots in solo cups. Everyone seemed to just be banking on Jefferson being the coolest fucking teacher, maybe getting stoned with the kids after he made his Everyday Heroes Contest announcement. Why the fuck he was announcing it at the End of the World party instead of in class was beyond her, but she'd mind her own business if he'd mind his.

About an hour after Taylor arrived, it became very clear that Taylor wasn't going to get to dance with anyone. Zach had showed up just a little after her, and Victoria had been quick to chat him up. Juliet had been hanging out with Dana and Trevor before that point, apparently making the best of being a third wheel, but once she saw Victoria and Zach together she bailed out the side exit, right next to Taylor. Dana had gone after her (sparing only the time to glare daggers at Victoria and make Taylor very happy she wasn't with them right now), and when she came back, she just sat down on the couch with Justin, and the two of them were talking. Just . . . talking, like Victoria was with Zach.

 _Boring._

And so it was that Taylor found herself dancing all alone in the corner until Logan showed up.

It was so casual, his appearance, that even after she saw him Taylor thought nothing of it. No, it was instead Taylor's frequent check-up on Dana that reminded her that this was bad, as she stood up suddenly, Trevor a second later. Logan was making a beeline towards them.

Do something do something do something!

"Hey bro! You're late dude, thought you weren't coming." Somehow, Zach made himself Dana's savior and stepped in Logan's path.

Victoria looked annoyed at having been interrupted, but her composure smoothed out quickly. She was so good at that. Taylor couldn't hear anything she was saying, but Logan quickly seemed distracted from his earlier goal and stayed to talk.

The side door opened (it squeaked so loudly whenever it did), and Taylor turned around to see if Juliet had come back. Instead, though, Mr. Jefferson came through the door, in a suit, as if he were teaching a class instead of attending what was basically the lamest rave in the world at a school pool. Taylor looked away (talking to him cross-faded sounded capital 'b' Bad), noticing that Dana was making shifting glances between Logan, Trevor, and now Mr. Jefferson. She was probably trying to weigh how likely it was that Jefferson would interrupt if Logan got belligerent or tried to start a fight.

As if just trying to prove how cool he was, Jefferson took a bemused look around at the party - the kids with bongs on their laps, the literal hundreds of solo cups, the shower curtain separating the VIP section from everyone else, River so drunk she was asleep on the couch - and then went to go chat with Hayden and the girls with him.

Dana was still hesitating, though she looked more frustrated now. Logan had started to turn his head every few seconds to check up on Dana as well, and that made Taylor nervous.

Victoria stepped away from the boys to go grab drinks, and Taylor saw her opportunity. Just as it looked like Logan was about to go talk to Dana, Taylor reached up and tapped him on the shoulder. He barely seemed to notice, but after a second he finally turned around.

"Yo, Taylor! What's up? You ready to twerk?"

Taylor's lip curled in disgust. "What? Ew, no." _Come on now, it's 'You're not supposed to be here_. "You're not supposed to be here."

His expression said 'what the fuck are you talking about', and he said, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You're not on the VIP list. You're not invited. You should leave."

Victoria was back with drinks, and Dana was starting to stare, confused.

Victoria, oblivious to the hostile stance Logan had suddenly adopted and Zach's utter confusion, returned with drinks and said, "Oh, hey T. What's up?" She offered out one of the cups to Logan, but he ignored her.

"No, I'm on the list," Logan said, towering over Taylor. She took a step back despite herself. "I don't know what Courtney fucked up, but I'm in the Vortex Club. Of course I'm invited."

Victoria now seemed in on everyone else's confusion. "Wait, what? Why are you _not_ on the list?"

"I am," he whined, finally taking his eyes off of Taylor. "Courtney just screwed it up."

Victoria's bitchy, summarize-all-of-your-flaws-like-it's-nothing voice started to kick in, "So you're saying you're not on the list."  
Taylor had rarely felt so glad at how quick Victoria was to shit on someone, given the opportunity, but she couldn't take it if they started to gang up on her.

Logan started to look back and forth between them, unsure of how to handle this. "What are you bitches _on_?"

"Logan." Taylor's voice was so loud, so steady, so authoritative that it startled her, and from the looks of it, everyone else. "I said leave."

She was afraid. She wondered if he could tell that. Something at least seemed to register, because suddenly his pupils expanded, almost fully encompassing his iris. It was freaky though, because when they were so big their edges became uneven and warped.

Logan paused, swallowing visibly. Then, he nodded. "Yeah, I should go."

This only seemed to confuse Zach further, who recoiled at Logan's compliance. "Seriously dude? You're just going to bail?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, I should leave."  
And everyone - Zach, Victoria, Taylor, Dana, Justin, Hayden, Jefferson, even the DJ - just sat there with shocked expressions as Logan turned and walked hurriedly out the side door.

 _What._

"Ho-ly shit, T. You just made Logan your bitch, up high." Zach raised his hand for a high five.

 _Fuck you, Zach._

Taylor was trembling, and her face felt hot from shame. She didn't know why, but the fact that Logan listened to her - not Victoria, not Dana, not Justin, not Zach or Mr. Jefferson - but _her_ , frightened her. She was small. She was easy to forget. She couldn't convince people of anything, nevermind intimidate 6'2" football players made of 50% muscle 50% beer.

Dana approached the little triangle of Victoria, Zach, and Taylor, and started saying, "Wow, Taylor, that was-"

"I have to go." Taylor put her head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"Taylor, where are you going?" Victoria asked, but she didn't follow as Taylor pushed her way through to the non-VIP portion of the party, ignoring everyone as she skirted the pool, aiming straight for the doors of the lobby.

Just before she reached it, however, a new mic turned on and whined for a second before settling down. Taylor pivoted towards the stage, realizing Mr. Jefferson was the one with the microphone. It must be time for him to announce the winner of the contest. Shit. Taylor couldn't just bail.

"Okay, everybody calm down."

Of course, they did the opposite as everyone started yelling and whistling, making it almost impossible to hear him, nevermind command their attention.

"Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it. I don't want to get in the way of the party, but it's time to announce the winner of the 'Everyday Heroes' contest." Everyone started to quiet down a little as it became clear they weren't going to get through this without a little preamble. "Before I do, I want to thank everybody who entered their photograph this year."

There was a brief pause in which a couple of girls decided to cat call Mr. Jefferson, but after a little bit of nervous laughter, he continued. "Now this is the most important step in being an artist - sharing your work with the world." He gestured out at the crowd, the vast majority of whom probably couldn't care less about this competition. Taylor wasn't even sure why she stayed (yes she did, it was so she could hug Victoria if she won, or text Rachel if she did, and they could share that moment), it's not like she had any stakes in it.

"All of you represent Blackwell Academy and everything our school stands for. As far as I'm concerned, you're all Everyday Heroes."

Something about that brought memories of Tuesday rushing back into Taylor's head, and her anxious laughter filled the near-silence as everyone prepared for his announcement. Nobody seemed to notice her interruption.

Jefferson turned towards the DJ and stuck out his hand. "The envelope, please."  
Although he pulled the slip inside out, he didn't even bother to look down at the name on the paper. Why would he? He had been one of the few people in the meeting to decide who would win. "And the winner is . . ." but there, in the dramatic silence, he brought the slip up to his face, reading it carefully. Then, "Oh my, what a shocker . . . Max Caulfield!"

Taylor groaned in disappointment as a few people clapped, but it died out quickly. Mr. Jefferson started to scour the room, his mouth turning into a frown. "Is Max here tonight? Has anyone seen her?"

Murmurs broke out all over the room as if this were an important court case on _Law & Order_. Taylor even indulged in a look around the room, although she was pretty sure Max wasn't at this party, or any other party hosted by the Vortex Club party that had ever existed. Apparently Jefferson hadn't gotten the memo.

He chuckled, clearly a little embarrassed. "Well," he said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She's probably out taking pictures right now. I'll let her know about her victory tomorrow, but I'm sure some of you kids will have congratulated her by then."

Now the laughter came from the crowd, not aware that he was being entirely serious. Apparently Mr. Jefferson hadn't gotten the other memo that Max barely had any friends, and those she did didn't seem to be here.

Taylor was done here. There was nothing more for her in this party, no opportunistic congratulations she could give to a pretty girl. She went through the lobby and pushed open the heavy steel doors to the outside.

She didn't find it more peaceful out there, just colder on her skin.

"Well have you considered not talking about Max Caulfield for, I don't know, five seconds? Maybe then it would be fun to hang out, sure, but as it is, it's just really annoying."

Whatever was going on, Taylor didn't feel like getting involved, and she definitely didn't feel like being seen by any living soul right now, so she just peeled off to the right to sit on the edge of the planters overlooking the parking lot. There were bushes along it, so it would hide her from whoever was arguing further down the path.

"We're friends! That's all. I just . . . I don't have a lot of friends at Blackwell. I didn't know it bothered you so much." Was that Warren? It definitely sounded like him. As far as Taylor was aware though, he wasn't dating anybody, and this definitely sounded like a lover's quarrel.

"I get that, Warren," Oh okay, yeah, "but are you bringing me up in literally every conversation with her? Are you Brooke this Brooke that around her? Are you actually so stunned that you've managed to make two friends here that this is just unbridled wonder and you have no idea that you're being annoying?"

There was a lull, and then Warren responded, "I mean, kind of."

Taylor was doing her best to pick at her nails instead of listen, or at least look like she was listening, even if there was no one to prove that she was eavesdropping. The silence lasted longer this time. It built up the drama enough that it helped distract her, soothe her.

Brooke sighed, and started again, "Look, that was uncalled for, I'm sorry. I know it's tough for you here, especially after you and Alyssa broke up and everything. I think I'm just jealous. I feel like you don't enjoy being my friend. It makes me feel like a third wheel when I'm just talking to you."

Just a short pause this time, then, "Well, I'm - I'm sorry. That's my bad." Another pause, then, "Are we still on for the drive-in on Saturday? Or should we . . . not?"

"Yeah, dude, we're still down to go Ape. I think I just need to cool off for a bit. I'm going to go back to the party."

"Aight, well I . . . I think I'm kind of wiped. I'm gonna head back to my dorm."

"See you in class, then."

"Yeah, totally."

Taylor wasn't really sure how she could hide without jumping down to the parking lot and making a ton of noise, so she just stayed seated and looked ahead, pretending she had heard nothing. Brooke's footsteps made their way up the path towards the door and the thumping bass, but they stopped directly behind Taylor. At first she hoped that was Brooke opening the door, but then she got curious and peeked over her shoulder, and noticed Brooke staring at her. At first, Brooke's face was flat, but then Brooke rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust. Before Taylor could say anything, Brooke had gone back inside.

Yeah, Taylor didn't really feel like going back inside. She picked herself up, jumped from the planter's edge to the concrete, and started down the path towards the school courtyard.

Just before she rounded the corner into the courtyard though, she heard Warren's voice from further up ahead. "What the fuuuuck?" he said.

Taylor looked around for some clue as to what could have stunned him so, finding nothing. What she did notice, though, was how the moonlight kept flickering, getting really bright and then dim, bright again and . . .

 _What in the._

Winking in and out of sight was a second moon in the sky, full and shining bright right next to the first. Taylor thought her vision must have been going double, so she stuck her hand out to see if it was doubling, too.  
It wasn't, but what she found there was troubling too. The lace glove she had found herself wearing in the bathroom after she'd knocked Zach out was appearing, seeming to crystallize out of nowhere one second and vanish the next. She lowered her hand slowly, hoping that taking it away from the backdrop of that impossible moon that it would stop happening.

It didn't. Instead, the shifting began to slow, letting Taylor see how the glove, the whole robe that began to appear conjured itself out of inky smoke, like the stuff that gem, that _staff_ had pulled out of Zach.  
After maybe a minute of this, the outfit stayed in place, and the winking of the second moon ended. There, hanging in the sky, were two full-fledged, identical moons.

 _This is it,_ she thought. _This is the Second Coming. I fucked up._ And then, aloud, "I wonder if it will hurt."

She was distracted by a loud coughing coming from around the corner. From the sound of it, it must have been close to the fountain, as its bubbling muffled the sound. When the coughing turned to a distressed hacking, though, she figured someone might be choking, that there could be an emergency and that her embarrassment of her new clothes could get someone killed unless she acted fast. She turned the corner, and found not what she was expecting at all.

In the dark, it was hard to see it at all, except that it was big. A boy (Warren, certainly), was being enveloped in a cloud, a mist that curled around him like a swarm of insects. He was doubled over in pain, coughing as hard as he could. Taylor quickly realized why - the stuff, whatever it was, was pouring into Warren's mouth. Even if it looked like mist, it had strength, because he couldn't seem to close his mouth, like a funnel had been shoved between his teeth. He was suffocating. He might be dying right here, right in front of Taylor's eyes.

Well, Taylor might not have a fucking clue what was happening, but she knew how to handle crazy fucking smoke demons possessing boys: with her staff. Wait, where was her staff this time? Why hadn't it appeared?

Before Taylor could figure out how to conjure it (was she seriously trying to figure out how to conjure a MAGICAL FUCKING STAFF TO FIGHT A DEMON? [Yes.]) however, Warren made a loud inhale, and the last of the stuff rushed inside his body. Taylor froze in place, not sure what to expect.  
Warren had finally stopped struggling, just taking a second to catch his breath. After a moment, though, he stood up, and turned to look down the path where Taylor stood. But things were very, very wrong. Warren's eyes glowed bright like fire, indistinct and dancing too wildly to possibly contained within his eyes. That was enough, but after a moment, a thin line of the same fire broke out from his mouth as he smiled. The fire grew and grew until a wicked, flaming grin consumed much of his face, and Taylor had no doubt that he could see her.

 _Hell. Fucking. No._

Taylor turned and booked it back towards the party, looking over her shoulder the whole time to see if he was pursuing her. That was, at least until she smacked into something solid and fell down on the pavement (probably narrowly avoiding death by complete shattering of the skull).

"Oww," she moaned, reaching up to rub her head as she tried to sit up. It didn't immediately occur to her that she felt flesh, not lace on her hand.

"My God, Taylor, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's my fault." Taylor opened her eyes, having not previously realized she even had them closed. Above her, Mr. Jefferson was peering down at her, concerned, and clearly very sorry indeed.

"Here, let me help you up. Do you think you can stand?"

She nodded feebly, reaching up to grab his extended hand. It was then that she realized the glove was gone, the robe was gone, and she was back in her (Victoria's) cardigan. The realization stunned her for a second, a second that must have looked like hesitation, because Jefferson gave a little laugh. "Take all the time you need, my hand's not going anywhere."

She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up, now free to rub the sore spot on the back of her head freely. "Thanks, Mr. Jefferson. I think I just got spooked by some shadows or something."

That brought out another laugh. "Well I'm sure glad it's just something like that. I was afraid you'd seen a monster, or something really scary, like Mr. Madsen."

Now that gave her a laugh, even if he was spot on about the monster thing. Hopefully he wouldn't have to figure out that he was right himself. "No, nothing like that. Just . . ."

Something was off, and it took Taylor a moment to realize it. Or maybe remember is the better word - she looked up at the sky, only to find the second moon gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.  
Maybe it hadn't been.

"Huh," Taylor said, "You didn't happen to see . . ."

"See what?" Jefferson tilted his head to the side. He always looked so attentive, like a counselor or something. He was a lot better at it than most teachers.

Taylor shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing. I guess I just hit my head a little too hard."

The look of concern was back. "Do you think you have a concussion? Should I get you to a hospital?"

Taylor only shook her head more vigorously which, to be honest, made her head hurt a lot more. She tried to hide it. "No, it's not that bad. I'll be fine in a few minutes.

"Well, all right."  
There was nothing more to say, really, and an awkward silence set in. Luckily, he was quick to break it. "Listen, Taylor, I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to you about your entry yet."

"My what?"

"Entry. Into the Everyday Heroes contest."

 _Oh. Right. Duh._ "Oh. What about it?" _Whatever he has to say can't be worth much now._

"Well, I guess I just wanted to let you know I can already see how far you've come this year in such a short time. Your photos have a very unique beauty and sincerity to them, a kind of innocence you might say, that I find very compelling. I know you may feel down that you didn't win the competition-" actually, no, she hadn't even considered that possibility, not the possibility that her photos were any good at all, "- but I wanted to let you know that all I feel you're lacking is practice and focus. If you really put the time and energy I know you can into your photography, you're going to have a wonderful portfolio this year. And, hey, I know I'm a teacher and that teachers say this sort of stuff, but I'd love to see your work in a gallery someday."

Taylor's breath had been snatched away, and not by the fact that she had literally just seen a kid get possessed or by bashing her head on the ground. She swallowed, hesitating with an honest response. "Actually . . . no. Teachers don't say that kind of thing to me."

Again, the concerned face returned - a far more usual thing for her to receive from a teacher. "Oh. Well I'm sorry to hear that. You're a very talented student and a lovely young woman."

God. Normally Taylor hated it when older men paid her compliments, but now Taylor only flushed from embarrassment. She knew she wasn't deserving of that sort of praise, but just hearing him say it made her feel incredible. It made her feel special. Adults never made her feel that way.  
"Wow . . . thank you Mr. Jefferson. I . . . I'll keep practicing, I promise."

He chuckled, "I'm glad, seeing as you have homework due Monday." _Beat._ "But I probably shouldn't keep you any longer, you must be tired."

That wasn't really true, but she definitely was stoned, drunk, and totally socially incapable of rejoining the party. "Yeah, you're right. I think I'm going to head for bed."

He smiled. "Well, good night Miss Christensen."

"Night Mr. Jefferson."

Taylor turned to leave for her dorm. Unfortunately, that was the last thing she really remembered from Thursday night.


	3. Intermission: Vision

The first thing that really became clear was the sound of bubbling water. It was so clear because there was nothing else to hear. Then came the pressure of a footstep. Soon, Taylor realized where she was - on the stairs leading down from the Blackwell classrooms. She was in the courtyard, the Blackwell founder fountain gurgling merrily right in front of her. That was all normal, but what wasn't normal was that it was late in the afternoon, and she was entirely alone.

Taylor had never been very good with silence. It had been a real trap for her when her anxiety first got really bad, because she'd try to get away from noise, only to panic herself at being alone. And that was really what silence meant, wasn't it? That you were alone?

Taylor continued down the steps, hoping to catch sight of someone that she just couldn't see just yet. Her footsteps were clearly audible, reverberating as if she were in an enclosed space. It was unnerving, but so was every other aspect of this place. Well, it was always possible that the courtyard might be empty a few hours after school, wasn't it? Certainly she'd see people passing by, walking their dogs and driving down the road to get home, get to the supermarket, get to a bar, something.

But there was no one. No one and nothing. The steps of Blackwell descended onto nothing but dirt. There were no cars, no homes, no buildings of any kind on the hill atop which Blackwell sat. And further, stretching out in the valley of Arcadia Bay, the forest that surrounded and cut through Arcadia Bay was sick. The trees were twisted, black and leafless. The forest was a forest no more, only a valley of corpses. Taylor truly was alone.

Taylor glanced around at the trees in the courtyard, wondering if they were dead too, and she had just missed it. But they weren't. They were fine, their branches blowing in a silent breeze.

Taylor turned back towards the school, surprised to find that she was not alone anymore. A raven sat on the bronze head of Jeremiah Blackwell, watching Taylor intently. Maybe she should be frightened. But really, she was just glad to have another living thing nearby.

As she approached the fountain, Taylor gave the bird a little wave. "Hello friend," she said, "you wouldn't happen to know what this dream means, do you?"

 _"It is not a dream, but that which is to come."_

The voice appeared as if someone were standing right beside Taylor, whispering into her ear. She recoiled and spun around, but found no one there.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Taylor knew it was stupid to even ask. Dreams don't have to play by the rules. There doesn't have to be anyone there to hear them talk. Although, that wasn't always so different from being awake.

 _"None but the two of us."_ Despite its proximity, the voice was quiet, soft, and androgynous. And though it should, it did not frighten her.

Of course, Taylor reached the inevitable conclusion before long. She turned back to the raven, meeting its eyes as well as she could. Of course it was the raven. It had to be the raven.

"Are you the one talking to me?" Taylor asked.

The raven just continued to stare. _"Of course,"_ said the voice.

Taylor didn't react immediately, but after a few seconds, she began to giggle. "Totally. Yeah, of course. Because my life just can't get any weirder."

 _"It can and it will,"_ replied the Raven.

That shut Taylor up pretty quick. Of course, there she had gone and jinxed it.

"Who are you?" Taylor asked.

 _"A prisoner."_  
It looked like nothing was about to start sounding comforting. Taylor may as well buckle in for whatever ride this dream was taking her on.

"What do you mean, a prisoner? In what prison?"

The Raven answered, _"A prison of time and tide, a prison of darkness and light. You call it Arcadia, though it is no such thing any longer. It was poisoned long ago."_

Although every word the Raven said made no sense, Taylor felt she had a safe bet on one conclusion: "Arcadia . . . Bay? The town? How is it a prison? For who?"

 _"It is a prison for only one, though it holds many more,"_ they said. _"This is a place where all stands still, where time dances with the sea. This is a place where gods rest forever, and mortals come to die."_

That almost made sense. Well, not really, not at all, but the individual pieces made sense, so long as Taylor abandoned all grip on reality. A prison for one person that holds many? Just an unnecessarily large prison. A place where all is still? A dead place, or at least not a living one. And time . . . time was always compared to a river. Time that was like the ocean, however . . . would move back and forth.

Taylor swallowed, hoping she was on the right track. She had gotten pretty good with metaphor from reading Revelations, she was pretty convinced. "Okay, so, first question. Whose prison is this? Who was it built for?"

And the Raven said, _"His rebirth bore you from darkness, as it bore the shades that now consume the people of Arcadia Bay. Like a stone cast into the ocean, the awakening of his mind awoke those closest to him first, but soon, others."_

All right, all right. This was making sense. "So whoever was - is imprisoned here, he was asleep? And him waking up . . ." Taylor glanced down at her right hand. The glove wasn't on it right now, but she remembered the way it had flickered into existence. "Did it make me a witch? And did it do something to Zach and Warren?"

Taylor expected another riddle, but all she got in response was, _"Yes."_

Okay, okay. If this provided an explanation as to why these crazy things were happening to Taylor, maybe this . . . maybe this wasn't a dream. It might be something else. A vision?

"Who is he?"

The Raven quickly settled into its previous routine. _"He is king of demons and lord of shadows. The smoke of war is his army, madness his spies. He was awoken by the the touch of another world, when two moons reigned in the sky."_

Taylor snapped her fingers in realization. "The double moon! After I left the party, another moon appeared . . . and then disappeared. That's what woke him up?"

The raven did not answer Taylor's question. Rather, they continued, _"You must keep his army at bay until the two moons rise again, and the storm cleanses these lands. Without hate, without sin and blood, the fruit of his madness will wither and die before it can ever be born. He will sleep once again in timeless Arcadia."_

Now Taylor was confused. You know, beyond even her current suspension of disbelief. "The storm? What storm are you talking about?"

As if on command, the sky began to darken. Heavy gray clouds emerged on the horizon, blotting out the sun. The clouds swept forward so quickly that it looked like the world itself was being consumed. It was mere seconds before even the sky above Taylor was covered as well, and rain poured down heavier than any October rain should. Lightning flashed over the ocean, waves of thunder visible as they blew through the gnarled trees of the forest. Soon, lightning became the most reliable source of light, flashing over the ocean and revealing a tempestuous bay.

And then she finally saw it. It made up so much of the horizon that at first Taylor thought it was nothing but the dark clouds that stretched for miles and miles. That was until she saw how it twisted, how the sea snaked up and swallowed the sky. A hurricane? A tornado. A waterspout, Taylor remembered they were called. But it was larger than Taylor imagined any storm could be.

Taylor turned back to face the Raven. She started yelling now, "It will kill everyone! Arcadia Bay will be wiped off the map! How do I stop it?"

And the Raven answered, _"This is not a task for you. The storm must come, or many more will die; if not in water, than in blood."_

Now Taylor became angrier, and although it made her loud, it also made her voice shake. She wish she could turn on that steeliness she had had with Logan anytime she wanted. "So what? I was given magic powers and now I'm just supposed to let people die? What the fuck kind of game is that?"

They responded, _"It is no game. It is your destiny."_  
There was a short pause in which Taylor was too shocked at the idea she had any destiny, and then the Raven continued, _"Listen closely. Soon your enemies will abandon delicate methods, and they will have no need of these pliable boys anymore. They have learned that stealth will not work, as it has never worked before, and so they will choose the path of war."_

Before Taylor could get a grip on what any of that meant, the Raven simply picked up speed, _"Taylor, you must find your companions if you are to survive until the second moon returns. They were not awakened by darkness like you were. Seek out the others of your coven: the oracle born in the moonlight, and the guardian of the storm and sky. The three of you must find the Maiden before the soldiers of your enemy begin to take their true form, or you will all die, and their master will rise."_

 _What the fuck!? What the fuck is going on!?_

"My - companions? Who are my companions? Who is my enemy? And who the fuck is the Maiden?"

The raven seemed as unperturbed by Taylor's frustration and confusion as they did by the frigid rain. _"You will know them soon enough. But hurry, awake! Your enemy has you in their grasp no longer."_

"WHO the FUCK is my ENEMY?"

 _"And remember, should the eclipse come before the second moon comes, should Arcadia Bay become so soaked in blood and bile that it blots out the light, only the blood of the Maiden may subdue the restless god. But please, spare her if you can, for with her Arcadia will perish, and the walls of the prison shall crumble around him."_

Taylor wanted to keep fighting, but there was no point. And try as she might to discard this dream, to accept the obvious reality that this was fake, a lie to feel special, likely a delusion of grandeur wrapped up in her recent hallucinations . . . she couldn't. She believed what the raven told her. She even had the feeling, deep down inside, that the Raven was right when they said she had a destiny.

"How, then?" she asked. "How do I fight them?"

 _"Why,"_ said the Raven, _"with that right there, in your hand."_

And though she hesitated, Taylor looked down at her hand, and found it clutching a large red stone. A gem, seemingly glowing red in the oppressive dark and deafening rain, that she had last seen drawing the darkness away from Zach's unconscious body. A piece of her staff.

A sudden understanding dawned on Taylor. A faith, a certainty in her purpose.  
She looked back up at the Raven and said, "Okay. I'll do it."

And then, she woke up.


	4. Episode 3: Moonlight Part I

The physical sensation of her body was the first thing to return. No sight, no sound, just the consciousness that she was lying somewhere soft. Although she was warm, something cold and hard sat in her hand. Getting her eyes to open was a whole ordeal - there was a disconnect somewhere between her mind's insistence that she do it and it actually, slowly, happening.

At first, it was so quiet that Taylor thought she must have woken up in the middle of the night. She was a restless sleeper, after all, and it would be nothing new. Except, wait . . .

 _Oh, fuck._ As Taylor's eyes finally opened, making sense of the blurs that made up her room, she saw light filtering in through her window. There was no way that that was the light of dawn. Taylor was missing class, and there was no way around it. Even now that she could see that she had overslept, the migraine pounding in her temples shut down any possibility that she was about to rush to get dressed and get to class.

 _So, how late am I? First period? First half?_  
Taylor lifted her hand to start groping around for her phone, but the motion brought her attention to the cold object in her hand.

Taylor managed to flip herself around in bed, through her whole body ached with fatigue. This was one hell of a hangover. How drunk had she even gotten last night?  
As Taylor's vision focused, she finally realized what she had in her hand. The red stone. The one from her staff. The one the raven-

Memories of her dream came rushing back, and Taylor began to stare in wonder (as well as she could, at least). It wasn't a dream? Had a raven actually spoken to her as she slept, told her the future? Everything was too messy in her brain to remember exactly what they'd said, but she remembered the storm. She could feel the cold on her skin from the memory alone, and the wonder at having the gem back in her hands began to fade into disquiet.

Everywhere hurt, but Taylor's wrists hurt more. _And they itch, fuck._ Taylor rotated her arm to get a better look at the back of her wrist, and with enough squinting, she could make out why.  
Her wrists wore thick, bruised lines. A quick touch told her they were sticky, and the bruises were incredibly sensitive to pressure.

Taylor wanted to cry out, but her mouth was dry and she couldn't get it to work right - nothing in her body seemed to be working quite right. She had been duct taped. It must have been wrapped over and over, and left on for hours. Her skin wasn't torn anywhere, though. There had been no resistance.

Taylor knew she had to sit up. Something was wrong. Something had happened to her, and she needed to know what. But the pain in her head was so severe that it took her several minutes, and when she finally did, she whimpered from the pain and nausea that accompanied it.

There was a blanket on her. She threw it off her bed, realizing finally that she was in her clothes from last night (but she wasn't wearing her jacket. _Oh, it's there on my desk_ ). That wasn't unusual. She passed out after maybe every other Vortex Club party, but she didn't black out. What was the last thing she remembered?  
Taylor's trip to recover her memories was put to a quick halt when she realized that her ankles were bruised as well, although not as severely as her wrists. They were sticky too. Not the inside though. And the bruises hurt more on the outside of her legs than the inside. Her ankles had been taped together.

 _No, no, no. Not again. This can't be happening._

The red stone sat next to her feet, an example of how futile her disbelief was.

Taylor reached under her pillow, where she usually kept her phone. It wasn't there. She checked her pants and found it in her pocket.  
There were new messages, but she still had to squint to read them.

It was 11:57am, and Taylor did not remember anything from the past thirteen hours.

Taylor swiped the top message without reading the preview.

 **Victoria:** T, you will not believe the phone call I just got.  
 **Victoria:** Mark just told me that I'm going down to San Francisco with him for the everyday heroes contest. Max dropped out.

 **Victoria:** I'm leaving during lunch. Are you awake? Do you need me to come get you aspirin or something before i go?

 _Victoria . . . is leaving. She can't help me._  
It took Taylor a few minutes to compose a message. It was already lunch. Victoria might already be leaving.

 **Taylor:** i'm just really hungover, it's OK. didn't realize i drank so much last night. congrats on the contest tho.  
 **Taylor:** wonder why max isn't going? but yay

Taylor had learned a while back that you could go to the hospital if you've been sexually assaulted so evidence could still be collected without going to the police. Considering how the police had treated her last time she was raped (not to mention her mother), Taylor couldn't imagine trying to go to them again, especially without knowing what had happened. She just needed someone with a car. Someone who didn't ask questions and had a car.

 **Taylor:** hey. um. i need a ride to the hospital.

Taylor waited for ten minutes, but neither Victoria nor Courtney responded. This couldn't just sit and wait. If there were drugs in her system (that she hadn't put there), she needed to be tested as soon as possible. Maybe just somebody with a car would have to do.

 **Taylor:** hey so i know things are weird between us and that i'm a huge asshole but i really need a ride to the hospital.

Normally, Dana took several minutes to respond. This time, though, it was under a minute.

 **Dana:** Did something happen with your mom? I'll take you.

 **Taylor:** i need to go right now. is that OK?

 **Dana:** Yeah. Yeah, that's okay. What's wrong?

 **Taylor:** i think somebody may have raped me after the party last night. i'd ask vic or courtney but they're not around.

 **Dana:** Fuck, Taylor, okay. Can you meet me in the parking lot? Do you want to go to the police?

 **Taylor:** acab, Danny. just hospital.  
 **Taylor:** i'll be there in a few.

* * *

Taylor was discharged from the hospital in the early evening the same day. Her urine test had come up negative for anything that shouldn't have been in her system, though a doctor informed her that alcohol was the most common form of date-rape drug (as if anyone had to tell her that). However, there were no clear signs that she'd been sexually assaulted either, although multiple people she talked to (Dana included) agreed that it looked like her wrists had been duct-taped. Taylor had gotten hooked up to an IV due to dehydration pretty fast (she'd tried to eat food and drank water, but spat it up immediately. She hadn't been able to keep hospital food down since she'd been in treatment for malnutrition), and whatever medicine she'd taken after her tests helped kill the migraine. She'd known ahead of time that she'd need a change of clothes after hers were taken for evidence, so she now sat in a hoodie and sweat pants - she'd had a lot of waiting around to do, after all.

The ride back to Blackwell was much like all the time they'd spent sitting in the hospital. Quiet. Strained. Uncomfortable. Dana had helped Taylor because she'd needed help. But where did that leave them now?

 **Taylor:** so tell me about SF. are you famous now? do you have thousands of adoring fans and scholarships coming out the ass?  
 **Taylor:** was the food good

 **Victoria:** no, no, no, yes.  
 **Victoria:** It was honestly... better and worse than expected.  
 **Victoria:** i was so excited the whole flight down, and talking about my career with Mark felt totally different knowing my art was actually being shown. that i was being taken seriously.  
 **Victoria:** but at the event when I went to sign in for Blackwell they had Max written down, not me, so...

 **Taylor:** oh, honey!, I'm so sorry. like i get why that happened but that had to feel weird

 **Victoria:** a little bit. but i'm over it.

 **Taylor:** how did people like your photo?

 **Victoria:** mixed results  
 **Victoria:** pros: got a magazine offer to showcase my art. SF distribution, nothing fancy, but they'd pay me, and you can put that shit in resumes. most of the people i talked to said good things.

 **Taylor:** but?

 **Victoria:** a couple of people said it was tacky  
 **Victoria:** just like, a critic and his family or something. i was just walking by and overheard

 **Taylor:** -_- rude

"How's Victoria?" Dana asked, glancing over at Taylor.

 _Oh, right. Conversation._ "She's doing pretty okay. I think she feels a little cheated that she was second pick for the contest."

Dana laughed. Taylor wasn't sure how she did it - she was so good at laughing and smiling even when stress still read clearly all over her face. Taylor had never been so talented at feeling more than one thing, nevermind expressing it.  
"Oh, I'm sure. I bet that just drives her nuts. I hope it didn't spoil the whole trip, though."

Why was Dana even acting concerned for Victoria? It wasn't exactly a secret that they were not friends, especially after this week.  
"I don't think it did. She got a paid gig down in San Francisco; I think that will make her happy."

The laughter had faded from Dana's face, but her face wasn't quite so pinched from worry anymore. "Well, good for her."

 **Victoria:** eh. After the gallery rejection Tuesday i think i can eat a little criticism. people are going to say worse than that to my face if i'm ever going to get anywhere.

 **Taylor:** will you be home soon?

 **Victoria:** my flight leaves at 8:20, I should be back around 10:00. something up?

 **Taylor:** not really. i just missed you

 **Victoria:** i missed you too, sweet-T 3

Dana interrupted Taylor's texting conversation again; "I wonder why Max dipped out, though. She's kind of banking everything on photography, I didn't think she'd say no to anything."

Taylor put her phone away for now. It wasn't like she got very many opportunities to just sit and talk to Dana, but the grueling hours in the hospital had made the drama with Zach and Juliet seem both pettier and less important. Today at least, they weren't enemies, and Taylor wasn't some appendage to Victoria's agenda.

Taylor asked in response, "I would have thought you'd know. Aren't you two friends?"

Dana shrugged. They were in town now (the hospital was about twenty minutes away, as there was only one in the whole county), and Blackwell was coming up fast. That meant the conversation was coming to a close.  
"I don't really know, honestly. We definitely were last year, but spring semester Max basically just started hanging out with Rachel. I know she and Kate hang out together sometimes, but we basically don't talk anymore."

 _Oh._ Max somehow had even fewer friends than Taylor thought.  
"Oh. Okay." Taylor paused for a second, unsure if the thought that came to mind was appropriate to share.

She decided she didn't care either way. "Well, I'm going on a date with Rachel Sunday, so maybe I'll ask her."

They were on the same road as Blackwell. Dana looked surprised, though she kept her eyes on the road as she got ready to turn in.  
"Seriously?" she asked, "I thought your clique and hers were like, bitter rivals."

Taylor nodded. "Definitely. To the death. But she's also super hot and she's going to buy me ice cream, so who cares?"

Dana laughed again, even stopping longer than she needed to at the left-hand turn into the school.

"What?" Taylor asked, embarrassed, but that only seemed to crack Dana up more.

Once they were in the parking lot and Dana's laughing had died down to giggling and a big, stupid grin, she answered, "You're just the absolute gayest, Taylor. I respect that."

To Taylor's own surprise, her skin flushed red and hot in response. She felt _flattered_ , honestly. "Thank you," she said; "I try my best."

Dana cracked up again, but this time Taylor joined in, even if it was a little forced. It just felt good to laugh with Dana. Taylor just wanted to do that and forget about everything else for now. But here they were, back in the Blackwell parking lot, a dozen paces or so from where Taylor had witnessed a boy be consumed by black smoke that probably possessed him and turned him into a monster, and Taylor could only too vividly remember that laughing with Dana was not all there was in store for her here.

Dana switched off the car, and it got quiet. They didn't get out of the car immediately, and it was _too_ quiet.  
"Seriously though, thank you Dana. I'm - I'm not sure what I would have done without you today."

Dana shook her head, undoing her seat belt but still making no moves to leave. "Don't worry about it. What kind of person would I be if I'd ignored you?"

It had taken Courtney almost four hours to respond - that was, once school ended. So maybe the kind of person who could actually be Taylor's friend. Not that Taylor blamed Courtney, not really. She was just so focused on school, she never responded to things during the day unless there was a party that night. It just felt wrong relying on Dana.

"Well . . . thank you anyway. You didn't have to stay with me all day, but you did. So thank you." Dana was far too kind of a person to be Taylor's friend - that much had become obvious. It's not like Taylor hadn't already known that, though.

Taylor's phone was buzzing some more, but she ignored it as Dana said, "Well, you saved me from Logan last night, probably drunk off his ass or something. So we're even."

Taylor smiled. Now that she wasn't so scared of what she might of done, of Logan and her confrontation with him, it felt much easier to be proud.  
"Okay," Taylor replied.

Dana sighed, sinking back against her seat as she looked forward towards the stairs leading up to the school. Taylor took the opportunity to glance at her phone for a second - there was a new message from Rachel. That would take attention. Best not to read it now.

When Dana spoke up again, she only looked at Taylor out of the corner of her eye, and her voice was so low, weak. "Look Taylor," she said, "I'm glad it ended up that probably nobody hurt you. But I have to admit the fact that someone might have taken you and taped you up together like that - it scares me a lot. I don't even know what makes someone do that. And if happened after the party, it was probably someone from school . . ."

All of this Taylor already knew. It had been the obvious state of things for hours now. Still, she had been trying to avoid thinking about that - that whoever had done that to her had done it for a reason, and that he was probably still on school grounds, sleeping in the dorms as if nothing had happened. That was assuming there was only one guy. She had read plenty of articles about groups of boys who would do freaky and/or rapey shit to girls who passed out at parties and posted pictures of it online, and the idea that she might find a picture or video of herself, out of it while a group of kids giggled around her, filled her with dread every time she let herself think about it.  
The fact that Dana seemed to be thinking the same thing only made things worse.

Dana swallowed, finally finding the words to continue, "But look. I'll find everyone who deals drugs at this school, I'll line them up, search their bags, and anyone who has roofies or something like that on them - I'll beat them up. I do sports." She lifted up her arm to show off her bicep, which yes was very nice and one of the best biceps on a girl in the school. "I don't know who did it, but Juliet is basically a detective and I'm pretty strong so together I feel like we'll handle this."

Dana was sweet. The chances that she would find anything? Slim at best. But the fact that she cared was worth more to Taylor than she really knew how to explain.  
"Thanks, Danny," Taylor replied. "And if anymore football jock-heads get too close to you," Taylor lifted her arm to show her own, pathetic bicep, "they'll never walk again. I go straight for the kneecaps."

"Deal," she agreed, managing the smallest of smiles.

And from then on, Taylor knew Dana was a friend. Not a friend she deserved, maybe, but a friend she could rely on. And right now, that meant the world to her.

* * *

 **Sent at 4:16pm**

 **Rachel:** are you doing okay boo? i didnt see you in anthro today

 **Taylor:** yeah i'm OK. i was feeling pretty trashed after last night so i took the day off

 **Rachel:** aww okay  
 **Rachel:** feelin any better?

 **Taylor:** yeah, yeah i just needed to sleep.

 **Taylor:** oh hey so vic told me Max didn't go to the contest in sf? what's up with that?

 **Rachel:** aw yeah man max is all laid up with the flu. nasty stuff. shes staying at chloes place.  
 **Rachel:** actually we both are. apparently its imperative that i see all the big miyazaki films  
 **Rachel:** were watching spirited away

 **Taylor:** seriously? same  
 **Taylor:** i've watched Princess Mononoke with Vic like three times

 **Rachel:** rip

 **Rachel:** oh also i planned our date for sunday and its going to be hella rad.  
 **Rachel:** not to toot my own tricycle horn or anything but im pretty great at this date thing

 **Taylor:** well thank god - i've never been on a date before. The "..." lasted a bit longer than necessary for the short response Taylor got back

 **Rachel:** seriously?  
 **Rachel:** but ur a babe

 _God._ Taylor didn't know how to handle comments like that. No girl had ever shown such flagrant interest in her before, and it really felt like the date with Rachel had come out of nowhere. As much as Taylor wanted to count her blessings, it really just made her nervous. Rachel just felt out of her league, and if Rachel didn't already know it, she would soon enough.

 **Taylor:** until i turned 18 my family still made me go to church  
 **Taylor:** and while they've given up on the idea that i'll stop being gay once boys grow up a bit, if they knew i liked a girl, they'd never let me see her  
 **Taylor:** i used to have to lie about going to a friend's house to go to parties and hang out with vic  
 **Taylor:** i actually did that so much my parents thought courtney and i were dating

 **Rachel:** wow thats some shit im sorry  
 **Rachel:** actually tbh ive never dated a girl

 **Taylor:** oh. first for both of us then

That made her feel better, as well as even more nervous.

 **Rachel:** yeah. im bi but ive kind of swung towards guys my whole life  
 **Rachel:** girls make me hella nervous

 **Taylor:** oh cool, me too. i'm a nervous wreck and girls are like half of it

 **Rachel:** do i make you nervous?

Taylor wasn't sure how to answer that. Of course Rachel made her nervous. She was loud, ambitious, beautiful, confident, smart, witty, and she tried to intimidate football players in PE. Taylor was a very small person, a blip on the radar, but Rachel was larger than life. She'd always understood why Victoria was jealous of her - she was jealous of her, too. The only difference was that, when actually talking to Rachel, Taylor's attraction to her won out every time. It was impossible to be close to her and not fall under her charm.

 **Taylor:** yeah.

 **Rachel:** are you nervous about our date?

 **Taylor:** yeah.

 **Rachel:** would it make you less nervous if i told you i was nervous and we just agreed to lean into the awkwardness

 **Taylor:** no. but i'm kind of glad i make you nervous.

 **Rachel:** you monster

This felt good. It was late enough in the evening that Victoria's flight had taken off and she was unreachable for a while. Taylor had decided that the fear and trauma of last night justified her avoiding homework for a day of two, so she'd decided messaging Rachel and Googling demons was a better use of her time. So far she'd found very little, as every time she put in a search term (i.e. 'demon of madness'), a wall of self-published novels and Dungeons and Dragons kept popping up. She'd been hoping to figure out a way to fight and/or expel the demon in Warren, but nothing she found looked anything like what Zachary had become or the smoke that had enveloped Warren.

 _Fine._ The internet was useless. This would require reconnaissance.

 **Taylor:** yo remember when i got super sick this morning and needed to go to the hospital and you didn't check your phone so i had to drag my sick ass self to the emergency room and they stuck needles in my arm and i fucking hate needles

 **Courtney:** Vaguely.

 **Taylor:** well in repentance for your crimes would you go to a Planet of the Apes double feature with me tomorrow? at the drive-in?

 **Courtney:** The nearest drive-in is almost an hour from here.  
 **Courtney:** Oh my god. You actually want me to drive you there.  
 **Courtney:** Why not go with Victoria?

 **Taylor:** she's busy

She wasn't, as far as Taylor knew, but she'd inevitably be talking nonstop about spending the day in San Francisco with Mr. Jefferson tomorrow. As much as Taylor loved her, she did not want to sit through two hours of car ride with Victoria's head among the stars.

 **Courtney:** I really don't like those movies, and we'd be driving so late. I don't like driving at night.

 **Taylor:** okay so i'm going to be super real right now  
 **Taylor:** i'm going to spy on a date

 **Courtney:** ... go on...

* * *

Taylor had offered little explanation before sleeping in Victoria's room last night. Considering everything that was going on, Taylor didn't imagine she was going to be sleeping alone very often anytime soon.

Taylor woke up to the sound of a door closing. She suspected it was Victoria leaving at first, but then someone started shaking her a little until her eyes opened.  
Victoria stood above her, hair wet and with a towel draped over her shoulders.

"Whadd'ya doing up so early?" Taylor mumbled. She had no actual proof that it was early, but it struck her as offensive that Victoria had actually managed to get up before her, especially after her trip yesterday.

Victoria shrugged. "Didn't sleep well. Decided to just get up and take a shower. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Taylor lied. The storm had been in her dreams again, but this time her hands and legs had been bound together, and she'd only been able to crawl across the courtyard, trying to get to the parking lot. She couldn't really remember the rest, but that wasn't the only time she'd woken up in a cold sweat last night.

Victoria sat down on the bed next to Taylor's feet, using her towel on her hair some more. "That's good," she said.

"What time is it?"

Victoria grabbed the phone from her desk and checked. "A little before seven. You can sleep some more before we go get breakfast, or get a shower in before everyone else."

Taylor shook her head. She didn't think she could sleep anymore, but she also didn't feel like getting up.

"Wanna hear something super weird?" Victoria asked. Normally questions like that sounded excited, but apparently whatever this was a little _too_ weird.

"Hmm?"

"So, when I got out of bed this morning - and it was like six o'clock - I saw Max coming back into the dorms from the woods. Which like, A) would be weird enough on it's own but B) she was naked, which ups this to freaky."

Wait, seriously? "Wait, seriously? Max just took a naked hike through the woods?"

Victoria scooted back against the wall of her bed, pulling her knees up to her chest so Taylor could stay stretched out. "Well that's what it looked like. Max is a fucking spazz but that's just creepy."

Taylor definitely found that unsettling, but not for the same reasons Victoria seemed to (she was kind of friends with Hayden, after all - the idea that somebody might go on a nude hike through the woods wasn't _that_ foreign).  
"Huh," Taylor said, thinking it through. "I thought she was like hella sick."

Victoria gave her a weird look - whether because she knew that, or didn't agree about how creepy Max was, or because she said 'hella' - then said, "Why'd you think that?"

Taylor shrugged before finally sitting up; this conversation was making her much less sleepy. "Rachel told me she and Max were sleeping at their friend's house and that Max had the flu. You didn't happen to also see them on this naked hike?"

"Ugh, no, thank god." Victoria paused for a second, then, in a quieter, unsure voice, "She didn't sound sick in the shower this morning."

Taylor raised her eyebrows, amused.

Victoria's eyes dropped flat, neutral (which on her face was annoyed), and explained, "She got in the shower like ten minutes after I did. No coughing or sneezing or anything."

"Huh." Then, as spooky as she could manage, Taylor said, "Maybe she harnessed the dark power of the full moon and bathed in the blood of virgins to heal herself."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Well, there was that weird-ass double moon thing Thursday, so what the fuck do I know, maybe. Doubt she had the blood of virgins on hand, though. The blood of sluts, maybe."

"Hey," Taylor snapped playfully (but also kind of not?), eyes narrowing into an exaggerated glare. "No bullying Rachel until after our date Sunday. It's like jinxing it.

"Ugh, fine.

"Thank you. Now, can we go get muffins?"

* * *

The first two solid hours of _Planet of the Apes_ were both atrociously boring as a movie and as a stake-out. Taylor had specifically borrowed Victoria's binoculars to spy on Warren and Brooke from a few cars down, but they were literally the most boring couple at the drive-in. They weren't smoking weed. Nobody was getting jerked off (at least in that car). They didn't even touch as far as Taylor could tell - they just talked occasionally, but otherwise kept their eyes on the movie screen. Under the circumstances, the first movie managed to actually be more interesting than them, despite being one of those sci-fi race metaphors so thin you had to wonder how it became so popular in the first place. At the very least, it was so boring that most of the couples here were being way too open about their drug use/and or having sex for a public setting.  
At least the popcorn was good.

"Oh, damn, we're out of popcorn."

Courtney tilted the empty bucket for Taylor to see that yes, she had in fact finished off their refill on a large popcorn, despite the fact that Taylor had only had a few handfuls of the first one.  
Taylor's look in response was flat, unimpressed, and extremely annoyed.

"I'm guessing you want me to get you a refill?"

Courtney shrugged, but her smile was that big smile she gave when she was playing. _Of course_ she wanted another refill.

"You said you'd buy me popcorn. This counts."

While Taylor's contractual statements and/or bribes clearly favored Courtney's position, she couldn't pretend she was happy about it. After another small gesture from Courtney offering it to her, Taylor snatched it from her hands with a glare. "Just let me make sure they're still where they're supposed to be."

Taylor pulled the binoculars out again to stare at Brooke and Warren. Warren was talking eagerly about something - probably the end of the movie, as that was what was happening.

"They're not going to go anywhere until intermission - just go, then play stalker."

"Fine."

Apparently Taylor was the only one who thought this was an appropriate time to go get popcorn, because there was no one else at the concession stand when she approached. The person managing it stood up from their stool as she approached the window, giving her the awkward smile of someone too worn down from hours of customer service to feel it anymore. Maybe they had a job before this one, like everyone else with a minimum wage job in Oregon.

Taylor dropped the popcorn bucket unceremoniously on the bar in front of her, not even bothering to say anything.  
The person on the other side just nodded and said, "Sure, coming right up," and dragged the popcorn through the window slot to take it to the back of the concessions... stand? Room? Office? What exactly would you call it?

"Fancy meeting you here, huh?"

Taylor jumped in surprise, spinning around to find Warren standing a few steps behind her, a bucket of popcorn under his arm and a drink in each hand. His eyes weren't on fire or anything, which was a good sign, but the surprise scared her enough.

"God! Fuck, dude, don't scare me like that."

Warren smiled and shrugged. "Ah, sorry, my bad, didn't mean to scare you. Just saying hi." _Beat._ "So, uh, hi."

"Yeah, hi."  
Now that they were face to face, Taylor had no idea what to do. She had worn her jeans with the deepest pockets just to make sure she could carry around that red gem with her, but the idea of whipping it out and trying to pull a demon out of Warren seemed way too fucking strange.

Unable to withstand silence for five seconds, apparently, Warren said, "So, I didn't really take you for a fan of sci-fi. How'd you like it?"

Taylor glanced over at the screen and found that the credits had just started rolling. Other people would be here soon for their refills. Confronting Warren would be impossible soon, if it wasn't already.

"It was shit, actually." Taylor couldn't really come up with anything more clever to say.

"Here's your popcorn," the concessions attendant said, and Taylor glanced back at them.  
"Thanks, she replied, taking it and standing off to the side.

As Warren walked up to the stand, he said, "Ha, yeah, I get that. It's a classic, though. Science fiction doesn't always age well." He dropped his items carefully on the counter, pulling out his wallet for the drink refills. "They're both Dr. Pepper. Thanks."

As the attendant took the drinks back, Warren started to drum his fingers on the counter to fill the quiet. He _really_ couldn't handle not talking.

"So, here on a date then? Here I thought I knew every girl in school who'd like this stuff at all."

Taylor shook her head. It must seem weird that she was just standing here, but here she had him alone, and she just didn't know what to say.  
"Nope. With Courtney. How's Brooke?"

He blinked a few times, clearly confused. "Uhh, good? She's good. How'd you know she was here?"

Taylor shrugged, not having thought through an excuse. Then again, maybe she didn't need one. If she was crazy, then she was crazy, but she had already put in her bet on not crazy.

"I followed you to make sure she would be okay."

People were beginning to emerge from the rows of cars to get their refills and candy as Warren stood there with the same stupefied look on his face. For a few seconds, Taylor was worried that she really, truly was crazy, and that she had followed a kid sixty miles from school to spy on him for literally no reason.

But then, Warren grinned, leaning on the concession counter as he started to laugh. It was unnerving, even though it was a totally possible reaction for a boy who hadn't yet learned to fear stalking, if he ever would. "That _was_ you," he said, delighted.

Once he settled down, though, he shook his head, picking up his new popcorn and soda slowly as people approached. He started to walk away, and for a second Taylor convinced herself that that was it. She even had time to feel embarrassed for the fact that she'd been clutching the stone in her pocket for the past thirty seconds before he paused, looking over his shoulder.  
"I guess that means I'll be seeing you later?"

She didn't have an answer. Did that mean what she thought it meant? Or was this just how weird Warren was?

Still smiling, he left Taylor behind as a line formed at the concession stand, and Taylor had to clear out so somebody could get ketchup.

* * *

 **Rachel:** dietary restrictions?

 **Taylor:** uhhh i can't really have red meat.

 **Rachel:** cool cool cool are you ok with vegetarian food

 **Taylor:** i guess?

 **Taylor:** hey wait are you making food for the date  
 **Taylor:** what kind of date is it anyway?  
 **Taylor:** it is almost 1:30 and i still don't know what our date is  
 **Taylor** : if you make me food i might literally cry

 **Rachel** : taylor its my first girl date and i AM GOING TO MAKE YOU EAT MY COOKING AND YOU WILL LIKE IT  
 **Rachel:** also what kind of ice cream did you want

 **Taylor:** i thought we'd just go to like 7/11 and buy ice cream bars  
 **Taylor:** are you buying ice cream in advance?

 **Rachel:** yes  
 **Rachel:** its going to be cool trust me :)  
 **Rachel:** actually yeah like please definitely trust me with this because I'm planning our date for ~ 12:00 and that's probably super creepy unless you're down

 **Taylor:** wait like midnight?

 **Rachel:** yes

 **Taylor:** wow yeah you're right that does sound creepy  
 **Taylor:** like you're going to murder me in the woods or something

 **Rachel:** the woods may or may not be involved

 **Taylor:** ...  
 **Taylor:** are you going to literally murder me in the woods?

 **Rachel:** yes  
 **Rachel:** kidding  
 **Rachel:** wow my sense of humor's shit  
 **Rachel:** its a picnic  
 **Rachel:** at midnight  
 **Rachel:** with ice cream i guess

 **Taylor:** wow you're super going to murder me but i'm down

Taylor took a screenshot of Rachel's picnic proposition and send it straight to Courtney. Luckily, Courtney had the least investment in the Victoria v. Rachel rivalry, so she'd been doing her best to be supportive and occasionally send reminders about dating (i.e. "Remember to brush your teeth before going out on a date anywhere, even if there won't be kissing. Without clean breath there won't be a second date.")

 **Rachel:** i promise i wont murder you  
 **Rachel:** or will I? =D  
 **Rachel:** sorry shit sense of humor again

 **Taylor:** yeah you're lucky you're hella cute or i would have stopped texting after the first death threat

 **Rachel:** you think im hella cute?

 **Taylor:** we're literally going on a date

 **Rachel:** haha yeah that makes sense :)  
 **Rachel:** youre hella cute too

 **Rachel:** okay so im going to sneak you out of your room at like 11:30 if thats cool

 **Taylor:** totally  
 **Taylor:** love sleeping through class Monday

 **Rachel:** me too! were so compatible :D

Okay, okay, so this flirting thing was basically just long periods of sarcasm followed by quick, casual compliments. Taylor could do that.  
Courtney's response appeared, and Taylor clicked on it.

 **Courtney:** Okay so that's pretty cute. Although it may be cold. Maybe you should bring a blanket?  
 **Courtney:** Oh does she know about your food thing?

 **Taylor:** that i get horrible anxiety eating unexpected food at unexpected times? no.  
 **Taylor:** maybe my former addiction to thinspo blogs can wait until the second date

 **Courtney:** OK but you're sapphics. I'm pretty sure a second date is moving in.

 **Taylor:** ha ha  
 **Taylor:** i've never even been in her room

 **Courtney:** That's why it's the second date.

* * *

So, once 11:30pm arrived and Taylor was ready to start her first date, she was trying to sit still on her bed, doing her best to not indulge in any of her nervous tics. From about 10:30 to 11:00 she had paced back in forth in her room until she started sweating, and from 11:00 to now she had scrolled through Tumblr, trying not to bite her nails (an embarrassingly large portion of the evening had been dedicated to trying to do nail art with Courtney, hating it, and taking it off with nail polish, and now she just didn't want to ruin the black and pink she'd painted on).

Now it was 11:32pm. Was Rachel okay? Had she forgotten about their date? Had Taylor gotten a text from her and not seen it? _Nope_ , so maybe she had fallen asleep? It was after 11:00 on a school night, so that was totally reasonable, maybe Taylor should just go wash of her makeup and-

 _Knock, knock, knock._

The light, quick knocks startled Taylor more than they should have, seeing as she was expecting them. Then, she got up and opened the door, finding Rachel standing there, a large basket in her hands. Maybe basket wasn't actually the right word, despite being woven; it was more of a _container_ , or _storage unit_ , or _chest_.  
Rachel had come dressed for tomfoolery, dressed in all black, including a beanie Taylor had never seen her wear before. Meanwhile, Taylor had come dressed for the cold, including both a denim jacket and a hoodie. The blanket she held to her chest only reinforced the difference in their priorities.

"Okay, Operation Hella Gay Picnic is a go. Hey, Taylor."

Taylor smiled, a smile she had literally been working on the whole weekend whenever she thought ahead to this date. "Hey, Rachel. After you?"

"Hell yeah."

* * *

It turned out it was incredibly easy to sneak off of campus when you didn't need to get to a car. There was always at least one security guard on the grounds, but they mostly stuck around the actual buildings and parking lot - places teenagers liked to come to in the middle of the night to graffiti. This time, though, they just took a quick turn down the stairs of the courtyard and got to the street, taking another left.

Once they were an appropriate distance away so Taylor wasn't worried about talking anymore, she asked, "So, where are you taking me?" In a tiny town like this, nothing was open past midnight except the bars, and Taylor had never been chill enough for them, preferring to drink on the floor of her room at random parts of the day or night.

Rachel shrugged as well as she could (she held the basket with two hands - it seemed heavy, though she hadn't complained about it), but answered anyway, "There's this park Chloe and me'd go before we were on like, 'sleep in your bed' best friend terms. She thought it was best at sundown or whatever, but I think it's awesome at night. It's actually pretty close, just up in the foothills."

"Oh, cool." Taylor hadn't really prepared for the need for banter actually in person, and now that they were together and Taylor was freezing (Rachel didn't even seem cold, and the sweater she was wearing didn't even fully cover her shoulders), she couldn't think of much to talk about. "I like the light house a lot. Almost all of my photography is there."

"No shit?" Rachel asked, glancing over at Taylor with a smile. "I love it there. It feels . . ."

"Calm," Taylor finished, nodding.

Rachel blinked, then said, "I was actually going to say powerful."

Taylor cocked her head, but said nothing.

Rachel seemed to get the silent question, though, and said, "I mean, like, it feels mystical almost, like you could fly away if you wanted to."

Can't say I know what you're talking about. "Huh. I think I'd have to be pretty stoned before I got to that point."

Rachel giggled, but her laugh just faded into the quiet, and they completed the rest of their walk with little conversation.

* * *

The park Rachel mentioned was little more than a grassy valley between foothills with a swing set and a few lamp posts that had all flickered out at 11pm curfew. At the back of the park was a short trail up a steep hillside with nothing more than a bench, lamp post, and those sight-seeing binoculars usually reserved for piers or legitimately interesting portions of the coast. They walked just a few paces off the trail, beside the bench, before Rachel stopped, dropped her basket, and crouched down. She immediately started shaking her hands out, trying to restore the blood flow to her fingers.

"I could have helped carry it, you know," Taylor said (though she doubted she really could), and unfurled her blanket from around her.

Rachel waved a hand at her (or maybe just more of the shaking in her direction?) and said, "No, no, that blanket's for you. I brought one."

True to her word, Rachel opened up the basket, the top layer of which was a large white blanket, which she immediately spread out. It was much bigger than Taylor's, so that worked.

"Awesome," Taylor said, sitting down, "because I'm fucking freezing."

Rachel raised a single finger up in the air while leaning over her basket, as if saying 'hold that thought.' Then she said, "Luckily, I brought something that should help with that."  
Reaching into the basket next, she pulled out two plastic cups as well as a bottle of red wine, looking over at Taylor to waggle her eyebrows. It was nice that the moon was so big right now, or else Taylor might not be able to see her at all.

Taylor raised a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in mock shock. "My, my," she said, "but I'm a good Mormon girl, I would never violate the Word of Wisdom like that."

Rachel snickered, handing Taylor a cup, but then seemed to do a mental double-take. "Wait are you seriously Mormon?"

Taylor shrugged. "Haven't been to church since I turned eighteen, but I guess. Just a shit one." Hoping to cut off the usual weird questions, Taylor asked, "Where'd you get it, anyway?"

Rachel pulled out some wrapped sandwiches with one hand, wiggling her finger disapprovingly at Taylor with the other. "A magician never reveals her secrets."

As Taylor gave her a stare of disapproval, though, Rachel smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear before grabbing a carton of strawberries and setting them next to the sandwiches. "Luckily, I'm not a magician, so I can just tell you that I stole it from my dad's liquor cabinet."

Taylor grabbed one of the sandwiches, noticing some text written on the plastic. She pulled it close, and noticed it read "Hers 3". Then she leaned over to look at the other, and noticed it, too, was labeled "Hers 3".

"I don't get it, which is mine?" Taylor asked.

Rachel grabbed the bottle of wine and sat it between her legs, saying, "Whichever. The one with the filled-in heart has chicken, though, so-"

"Sweet," Taylor said, swapping out the sandwich she had for the one sitting between them. Then, gesturing at the bottle she said, "Did you bring a bottle opener?"

Rachel reached into her jeans and pulled out a swiss army knife, pulling out a bottle opener showily. "Always be prepared," she said before uncorking it.

"Ha. Yeah, that's what Victoria always says, too."

 _This is probably not the time to bring up Victoria. Talk less, smile more. Or at least think first._

Rachel poured Taylor a cup and handed it to her. "How'd Victoria like San Francisco, anyway? I haven't had the chance to talk to her."

For some reason, Rachel always did this thing where she pretended that she and Victoria were friends, even though Victoria had never even pretended to like her - not to Taylor, and certainly not to Rachel's face.

Taylor shrugged. "Good, I guess. I mean, it's a step, and I think that makes her happy." She took a sip of wine before setting the cup on the grass and unwrapping her sandwich. The longer she sat and thought about it, the more uncomfortable she was going to get, so she might as well get it over with. Taylor covered her mouth with her hand to talk while chewing, "How was your sleepover with sick Max?"

Rachel smiled, pulling the plastic off her sandwich just enough to be able to take a bite. "Good, good. Spirited Away is good. And Max had like a 24 hour flu or something, so we just hung around the Two Whales with Chloe's mom most of the day."

"You, Chloe, and Max?"

Rachel looked back at her curiously, not responding immediately. When she started talking again, she raised her hand up to her earring and started to futz with it. "Yeah. We just got back to Blackwell tonight - Joyce and I made the sandwiches together. Except like, six of them, because once we started making them Chloe got hungry."

Taylor put on a practiced smile, trying to pretend that she wasn't disappointed. _Why is she lying to me?_  
"You're kind of like their mom, huh? Feeding Chloe, taking care of Max when she's sick?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to talk through her hand while chewing: "Naw, it's not like that. Not with Max, at least. Chloe's kind of a goof sometimes, but I like taking care of her."

Knowing nothing about Chloe, Taylor could only say, "She's really tall."

That seemed to crack Rachel up, though. "Yeah, she sure is. Tall is nice, though."

"Do you like tall girls?" Taylor asked. She wouldn't really consider herself a tall girl, but then again, Rachel couldn't be more than 5'4", which made her as tall to Rachel as Victoria was to her.

Rachel shrugged. "I dunno, I like every type of girl. I literally can't think of a way to keep girls from being beautiful."

 _Yes!_  
"Right?!" Taylor basically yelled, getting a grin out of Rachel that morphed into a laugh as Taylor realized how loud she'd been. "I just mean, like, wow, girls. They're great."

Rachel didn't respond with anything other than a smile, and the two got back to their sandwiches. Still, Taylor couldn't help but bring all of her curiosity about being bi with her now that they'd mentioned girls (God, girls). She'd hoped that Courtney "I don't know, I just know who I like and then I like them, that's all" Wagner or Victoria "Look I get a crush like once every two years for about five minutes and it's different for literally everyone" Chase would give her some insight, but neither of them actually ever said they were bi (Courtney actually specifically said 'no' when Taylor had tried to clarify).

 _How do I not make this awkward as fuck?_  
"So . . ." Taylor started. Good start, but requires follow-up. "When you said you were bi you said you swing towards boys but you think every girl is beautiful? If you like guys even more isn't that like, overwhelming?" She knew she was sounding weird, but she didn't know how else to phrase it.

Taylor had expected laughter, but Rachel just nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I mean, sometimes. I mean, so like, I think guys are hot. I really, really do. But the older I get, the more I doubt I could be in a serious relationship with a guy, you know?"

Taylor most certainly did not know.

Rachel continued, "But like, girls. I don't know. I don't have the same experience of just meeting a girl and wanting to bang her, I guess. Like sometimes I see a girl on the bus or something and I just cry because girls are so beautiful, but, I don't know, I feel weird just banging a girl. I want to . . . date a girl."

 _Huh._  
 _Oh wait she's looking at me._  
 _I'm the girl she's dating._  
 _Holy shit we're on a date._  
 _Wait._

"Wait. Have you ever . . ." Taylor trailed off, but as Rachel gave her an expectant look, she just finished with, "with a girl?"

Rachel looked kind of taken aback, which was fair, because Taylor couldn't talk to people and was probably ruining everything.  
Still, her surprise didn't come with the verbal response Taylor expected.

"Didn't she tell you?"

"Who?" Rachel had sex with somebody Taylor knew?

"Uh, never mind I guess. I figured she'd bring it up."

"Um, okay."

Now that rendered things officially awkward.

Once they were through their sandwiches and just sitting in the cold, drinking wine, Rachel asked, "Hey, so, want ice cream now?"

Taylor had entirely forgotten about the promise of ice cream, even though she'd demanded it. "I mean, I do, but I also don't want to get hypothermia and die."

"Pssh," Rachel said, waving away the thought. "I wouldn't let you die. Besides, we could snuggle up under your blanket so it doesn't get too cold."

Taylor's brain immediately short-circuited from shock and nervousness. On one hand, she had been thinking about kissing Rachel for days like the protagonist of a young adult fiction novel, but on the other, she was just a gay puddle with no ability to interact with people.

"Alright," Taylor replied.

Rachel's grin was absolutely gleeful. "Awesome!" She reached into the basket and pulled out a whole quart of ice cream, as well as two spoons. "It's cookie dough, I hope that's okay."

"Of course that's okay."

 _Should I go over to her or is she going to scoot over here?_  
 _It appears I am scooting._  
 _Now how do I wrap this around her without being weird?_  
 _Okay, nevermind, she did it herself._

Rachel finished her second cup of wine before opening up the ice cream quart, which luckily hadn't melted too bad considering it was past midnight in fall. Then, she did her best to wedge the container between their knees so they could both get it with their spoons.

"You know," Rachel said, "I could only see like a couple stars in most of LA. Like, Orion's Belt and the Big Dipper, but that's it. When I was a kid, I had one of those toy planetarium things I'd turn on at night to feel like I was sleeping out under the stars. It's so nice to be able to see them out here. I don't feel so . . . disconnected."

Rachel was staring up at the stars whenever she took a bite of ice cream, which for her seemed to mean flipping the spoon over and letting the ice cream melt on her tongue. Her face sat is shadowed relief in the moonlight, and she almost appeared to be carved from marble, perfect. Her hair shimmered even in this night, and the black star on her wrist matched the millions above them. Taylor, despite herself, was letting herself get lulled into this surreal fantasy where she was getting to fall in love, but the more plausible it seemed, the less Taylor felt like she was living her own life. Nothing felt real recently - not the demons, not her abduction, and certainly not what was happening with Rachel. None of it made any sense, and even this beautiful moment left her afraid.

A tear on Taylor's cheek was so cold that she felt forced to wipe it away, drawing Rachel's attention back to her.

"You okay?" she asked, though Taylor didn't think she'd seen the tear.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, yeah, totally. I just - I don't know. I just never thought you even liked me and now we're on a date and I'm just having a really weird week."

Rachel nodded back, hanging her head, her whole body seeming to deflate. She took another scoop of ice cream without saying anything.

 _Did I upset her? That was probably too much. Talk less, dammit._

"I know what you mean," Rachel replied.  
After a short pause, Rachel added, "I mean, I didn't know if you'd like me until I asked you out. I still don't, really."

Fuck. What do I even say to that?

"I wouldn't even know how to not like you," Taylor said. She wasn't exactly sure that was true, but she'd definitely thought it before, and now she had said it so it looked like she was committed.

Rachel looked back to Taylor, a smaller, gentler smile on her face than usual. At first, Taylor didn't think she was going to say anything, and that they were just going to sit in the pleasant warmth of that truth. However, after the eye contact had gone on a few seconds too long, Rachel swallowed and said, "Can I kiss you?"

Taylor's heart thudded in her chest. Her fingers were cold, losing their dexterity as she worked her way through the ice cream. Her nervousness made her hyper-aware of her body, which was never a good thing. But she was also suddenly even more aware of Rachel's body, of how she'd shifted her torso towards Rachel, how she was looking her straight in the face, eyes shifting back and forth between her eyes and her mouth. She was seriously. She wanted to kiss.

Taylor didn't even know how to talk, so she just nodded. And then, tentatively, Rachel leaned forward, Taylor all but frozen in place as she got closer, and Taylor just closed her eyes, parting her lips just slightly.  
And they kissed. Taylor didn't know what to do with her hands, so she just kept one hand on her spoon and the other on the picnic blanket. It was simple, and soft, and over before Taylor was even certain that she'd kissed Rachel back, but they had kissed, and now Taylor was left with a tingling feeling of wonder in her stomach.

Taylor had never seen Rachel's eyes so clearly as when she finally opened her eyes, and Rachel's face was only inches from her own.

Finally, Rachel broke eye contact, looking down and backing away, wrapping herself back up in the blanket. Taylor found herself disappointed that the kiss was over, but relieved for the space to think.

That space didn't last long before Rachel said, "I have to tell you something."

Taylor turned her head, absolutely not ready for any more surprises, but not sure how to communicate that. It was probably best just to get it over with.  
"Hmm?" she hummed.

Rachel still wasn't looking at her. She was clearly nervous, more nervous than she had been about the kiss, which made Taylor nervous. She flicked the feather of her earring unconsciously, as if deep in thought.

"I know you're a witch," she said.  
Then, turning to look Taylor in the eye, she said, "And I think I am, too."

And that was just one surprise too many, because Taylor just broke out cackling. Somehow, things were even more fucked up in her life than she thought.


	5. Episode 4: In My Mind

"Why - why are you laughing?" Rachel asked, face pinched with concern.

That only made Taylor laugh harder though, and it took her a few seconds to recover, wiping away tears that only had a little to do with the laughing.  
"No, it's just - of course! Of course something super fucked up is happening seconds after we kissed."

Taylor's feelings were veering everywhere, and she wasn't quite sure what to focus on long enough to actually express. Her face was in a screwed-up smile, but her happiness had curdled in her stomach, and she was fighting the urge to run away. Nothing here was real, and the person sitting here with Rachel was certainly not her.

Rachel just kept futzing with her earring. "Did I fuck it up? I'm sorry, I just . . . I needed to tell you."

Taylor buried her face in her hands to hide whatever contortion her face was going through right now, leaving her spoon in the ice cream. The separation from the sight of Rachel helped, the darkness giving her some space to think.  
Rachel just left her in silence until Taylor asked, "What do you mean, you think you're a witch? How do you know about any of this?"

Rachel reached for the picnic basket so slowly that Taylor thought she was going to draw out something important to show her point, but instead, she just grabbed the ice cream cap, sealed it, and put it back in the basket. She had to be cold, just sitting out in the cold while Taylor wrapped herself in her own blanket, but the situation was a little too weird to offer to let her back in just yet.

Rachel drew her knees to her chest, drumming her fingers on them as she thought. Then she said, "So, maybe a year ago, I had this dream. Except it wasn't really a dream, it was more like a vision, or a prophecy or something. And in my dream, I saw two moons, like the ones that showed up Thursday night. And, after one of the moons went away, I saw . . ." her eyes were somewhere off in the distance, but as she thought back to her dream, her face became screwed up, pained, tight.

"The storm?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, nothing like that . . . I saw Arcadia Bay burn. I don't know what started it, but the whole forest was on fire, and everyone just . . ." She closed her eyes and swallowed, through some discomfort, then finished, "They just sat there as they burned. It was horrible."

Despite the mention of fire, Taylor felt a chill run through her, and she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.  
"Did the Raven come talk to you, too?"

Rachel cocked her head curiously, reaching up to push her hair behind her ear. "No, no raven. Nobody talked to me, I just saw things. Did you have a vision, too?"

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I was at Blackwell, and the forest everywhere was dead between here and the beach. A Raven was there, and they talked to me - they told me I had allies, and that I had to find them. Did they mean you?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I think so, but I never got anything so explicit. But . . . I saw a giant tree standing alone in a - I think you call it a glade? Like, a plain inside a forest? Well, one of those, and I saw three girls standing around it. I think they were girls, at least, they were so . . . hazy."

Taylor interrupted before she could continue, "Like they were a shadow, kind of?"

Finally, Rachel nodded to one of Taylor's questions. "Yeah. Like they were covered by something. Have you seen that before?"

Taylor blinked, both very surprised and also far beyond surprise at this point. "Yeah. Zach looked like that when I fought him."

Rachel didn't seem surprised by this admission. "Yeah, okay. Well, the three girls each had these like, weapons I guess you could say, although they didn't really look like normal weapons. One of them, though, was a staff, and it had a - _red gem_."  
"Red gem."

The two of them spoke in unison, and Taylor realized how this was coming together.  
"So, wait, when did you find out about my staff? How did you know it was me?"

Rachel had finally begun to relax, sitting cross-legged instead of hugging her legs to her body. Every time she had to explain something, she repeated the tic of trying to push her hair back behind her ear, although she was never quite able to get it to stay.  
 _I should start keeping extra hair ties on me._

"So, last Tuesday, I found Zach knocked out in the girls' bathroom. He was mumbling in his sleep about you, saying that you were a witch . . . and then I noticed the gem. It was just sitting next to the cleaning supplies, so I picked it up. And as soon as I touched it, I just knew . . ." Rachel made tentative eye contact with Taylor and finished, "that it belonged to you."

Somehow, despite the fact that her heart was racing, Taylor was not having a panic attack. All of this sounded so crazy, and yet she believed it entirely.  
Taylor reached into her pocket and pulled out the gem, so bright that it shined in the moonlight.

"It does," Taylor confirmed. "I don't know how it works yet, but I know it's mine. And that I'm a witch."

The two of them sat and stared at it for a moment, its vibrant color somehow even more grand in the darkness than it had been before. Still, the stone reminded Taylor of something.

"Friday morning, I woke up with this in my hand, even though I hadn't seen it since Tuesday. Did you have something to do with that?"

There was that tic again. Taylor wondered if Rachel ever got tired of brushing her hair back like that.  
Then, Rachel nodded. "Yeah." A pause, then, "Friday morning, when I was coming back to school, I found you lying in the bottom of the stairwell up to the girls' dorms. You looked like you had passed out, so I carried you up to your room. But when I took off your jacket so you'd be comfortable, you . . ." Rachel didn't seem to know how to finish her sentence.

 _Oh._

"You saw my arms, right?"

"Yeah." Pause. "I know I shouldn't have looked, but there were just so many scars, I just . . . I got freaked out, a little. And when I saw what was up with your wrists, I thought - I thought something horrible must have happened to you. I know I should have waited until you got up and talked to you, made sure you were all right, but I just . . . I just . . ."

This wasn't anything new for Taylor. It was precisely why she kept her arms covered so much in the first place. "You got freaked. You didn't know what to say."

Rachel just nodded, but the shame was evident on her face. That only made Taylor feel worse.  
She just wanted to think about something else.

"Do you know what happened? Thursday night, I mean, for that-"

Taylor shook her head and answered, "No." Rachel fell quiet.

 _Something else. Anything else, please._

"Well, not about who tied me up, no. But some crazy shit went down during the double moons, though. And if you really are a witch, I guess it's your business now, too."

Rachel hesitated, clearly not wanting to abandon the conversation, but just as clearly curious about what Taylor had to say. Soon enough, curiosity and fear won out, and she asked, "What happened?"

"Warren got possessed by a demon, just like Zach did when he attacked me and Juliet."

And _that_ (!) got her attention. Rachel's eyes opened wide, and she leaned forward onto her hands and knees. "Wait, whoah, whoah, what!? Are you serious?"

"I saw him, and he saw me. No doubt about me. When the double moons appeared, this . . . smoke stuff appeared, and it poured into him. He like, drowned in it, and when he got back up, he wasn't totally human anymore. It's inside him." _Beat._ "And the Raven told me I have to fight it, the demon inside him, like I did with Zach."

"Holy shit."

 _That's about right, yeah._

"Holy shit - demons? Seriously? How do you fight them? How'd you fight Zach?"

Taylor shrugged, but scooted forward, kind of excited to finally have the chance to talk about it. "So, Tuesday, Zach came into the bathroom to corner Juliet and get her to talk to him. He was being an asshole, obviously, and I interrupted them. Except, when I did, it wasn't Zach, it was this . . . hazy . . . thing. The Raven called it a Shade, I think. I got pretty freaked out, and then he was all like, 'you can see me?' and he knocked out Juliet."

Rachel looked absolutely mind-boggled, which was weirdly pleasing, so Taylor continued more relaxed even if the story was getting worse; "Yeah, so, he backed me into the corner, and then I - I had the staff all of a sudden. I tried to hit him with it, and it was like a wrecking ball hit him - he just hit the wall and collapsed. And after he did, the smoke stuff all over him all got pulled into the gem. I don't really know _how_ I did it, really, it sort of happened automatically."

Rachel was rocking back and forth a little bit as she listened, but once Taylor reached the end of her story, she stopped rocking and answered with a, "Whoah."  
A pause, and then another, "Just, whoah."

And the eye contact they made, with Rachel just staring and blinking occasionally, felt charged in a way that didn't make any sense for the conversation they were having. For once, though, Taylor didn't just get trapped in her eyes, and just put the gem away again.

Rachel finally looked away, instead looking up at the stars. "So," she said, "Warren, huh?

Taylor nodded. "Warren."

Instead of replying, Rachel just reached into the basket for the wine and poured herself another glass, sipping it quietly for a minute or so. Taylor checked her phone in the meantime, but it was a little late at night for any texts or Facebook comments or anything. At least it filled in the seconds.

"So, what does he want? Warren, I mean. Or the demon inside him, I guess."  
Rachel raised her cup to her forehead, resting her forehead against the back of her hand and shaking her head. "God, that sounds hella weird. Exorcist shit."

"I don't really know," Taylor said, even though that wasn't entirely true. She understood his ultimate goal, if not exactly what the demon was doing with Warren's body. It was getting hard to focus with how cold it was, and it wasn't like the ice cream had helped that at all. She shivered, trying to pull the blanket tighter around herself, but there was little she could do at this point.

Rachel seemed to notice that, though, and asked, "Cold?"

Taylor nodded. Although she hadn't complained, Rachel couldn't be any warmer with how she was dressed, and the alcohol was only going to make her colder in the long run.

"Rachel?" Taylor asked, then hesitated.  
Rachel cocked her head to the side though, and Taylor just swallowed, continuing, "Do you want to lay under the blanket with me? It's going to be a long talk, and you'll freeze."

"I'm all right," Rachel replied. Then she blinked and followed up with, "But also yes."

Rachel finished off her drink and put everything in the basket before Taylor laid down, spreading own her blanket over the picnic blanket, and Rachel crawled under with her, scooting as close to her as she could. Despite this, they both just stared up at the sky, keeping their hands on their stomachs. Taylor wanted to be held, but 1) the conversation wasn't really lending itself to spooning and 2) Rachel was very small. It sucked to be kind of tall and also loving being a little spoon.

After a few minutes, Taylor said, "So, I know a little bit from the Raven, but everything they said was hella cryptic and like, ye olde English. Or at the very least, like, Poe English."

There was a pause, and then Rachel asked, "Are you saying you were visited by Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven'? Like did it answer all of your questions with 'Nevermore' orrrr?"

"Nope, nothing like that. Just told me Arcadia Bay would be cleansed in blood if I didn't stop the demons."

"Oh." _Beat._ "That's a lot less cool."

"Yep."

"Did you understand any of it?"

"What?"

"What the Raven said to you?"

"Oh, yeah, kind of."

There was a moment of quiet while Rachel waited for Taylor to explain, but actually summarizing the vision was far from simple. Still, maybe there were pieces . . .  
"Like, they said that Arcadia Bay was a prison built for a God. There was stuff the prison was made out of . . . um. I'm not really sure."

Taylor knew there had been a handful of things the Raven had explained about the prison, but none of it had really stuck. So she continued with the bit she understood better, "Oh, and, so, this god guy. Apparently he's some sort of demon king of blood and insanity, and the double moon woke him up, and if we have an eclipse, then we're all fucked."

"Hmmm," Rachel hummed, appropriately concerned. Then, she said, "We've got a total solar eclipse coming in 2017, so that's not a lot of time. Wait, did they say solar or lunar?"

"Uhhhhh," Taylor stalled, trying to remember. Realizing that they hadn't specified, though, she shifted to, "I dunno."

"Well, fuck."

"Yeah."

"A demon god?"

"I guess."

"Shit," Rachel groaned, as if Taylor had just reminded her they had a test tomorrow.

But then Rachel added, "But, wait, no blood cleansing if we stop the demons? Everybody gets to live, we just got to hit them with your staff?"

 _Except for the storm._

Taylor replied, "I think that's how it works," not even knowing how _that_ worked.

"I guess this is the part where we figure out how to beat up Warren, then. Pretty sure I can take him."

Rachel reached an arm out of the blanket to flex. Taylor laughed at the unexpected gesture, reminded a little of Dana.  
"Sure, Rache. We can perform an exorcism for a second date."

"Okay, but that's hella metal."

* * *

The classroom configuration in Photography felt weird Monday afternoon. Although Taylor sat at her usual spot next to Victoria, seeing Max and Rachel sitting in the back of the room felt strange, like they had been replaced with different, if identical, people. It was even weirder to notice how Rachel occasionally glanced over at Taylor during the early part of lecture, smiling when she was caught. Somehow, Taylor was caught between three realities - the one in which she came to class and was an ordinary student, the one where she and Rachel went on a date last night, and the one in which Taylor had started keeping a magical gem in her pocket in case she had to fight a demon.

Oh, and Kate was back in class at the table next to Rachel, although she was so quiet that you had to put effort into noticing she was even there.

"Now, drawing from our focus last week, chiaroscuro is a type of contrast that adds both form and texture to a piece, most often roundness and smoothness, at plenty of your lab pieces can attest. Now, who can give me an example of another stylistic element that influences the perception of another element in a work?"

Max's hand shot up, which was surprising enough that Victoria visibly recoiled.  
Jefferson smiled, leaning back a little on his desk in the center of class. He gestured to Max to show that his attention was hers (as if the fact that he sat five feet away directly facing her every day didn't show that enough).

"Line can be used to express motion. You know, like with cartoons mostly."

Much of the class broke into smiles - especially Rachel, who gave an approving nod as well - but Victoria rolled her eyes so hard Taylor was pretty sure she could hear it.

"Thanks, Max," she said; "It's good to know you'll always keep us up to date on the latest techniques from the _Peanuts_."

Max's expression remained flat, but Rachel's shoulders immediately sagged, her eyes narrowing into an unrestrained glare that Victoria entirely refused to meet.

Meanwhile, Jefferson laughed, then chided, "Now now, Victoria. It may seem a little childish, but cartoons are an excellent example of this concept in action. From the way space is used to convey speed to the way, yes, line is used to convey motion, cartoons, as well as other non-realistic forms of animation rely on implications of one element to inform another."

Victoria gave a small groan of disgust but said nothing more, instead turning to her notebook. Not the one for class notes, the little black one she kept around to compile her thoughts from throughout the day in (re: complain about people).

"Now, this week, we'll mostly be focusing on a Renaissance painting technique, atmospheric perspective, that uses color and light to give an impression of depth."  
Jefferson shifted in his seat towards Taylor and Victoria's table, as he often did to ask Victoria questions. Except, this time he said, "Taylor?"

Taylor snapped to attention, but her mind went blank before he could even ask a question. "Uh, yeah?"

"Could you name a piece for us that provides a good example of atmospheric perspective? I think your textbook might also call it aerial perspective as well."

"I, uh . . ." _I didn't do the reading, and I have no idea what you're talking about. Color as depth?_ "Um . . ."

Victoria's hand curled over her notebook as she prepared to answer. She started to give an answer, but when Taylor glanced over at her, she didn't seem to be saying anything at all. Except, Taylor could hear her quite clearly.  
 _"Leonardo da Vinci's_ Last Supper _, especially in its restored form, is a great example of aerial perspective as well as three-point perspective, using multiple elements to highlight different levels of depth, and . . ."_

"I don't know," Taylor said loudly, trying to hear herself clearly over Victoria. Nobody else was responding to the fact that she was talking, so Taylor figured she really wasn't.

"Ah, well, I believe there was at least one example in your textbook, right? How about-"

As Victoria finally reached up her hand, Taylor noticed that Kate's hand extending over her table, clearly trying to grab Jefferson's attention. Victoria hesitated, shifting her attention from Jefferson to Kate, and that pulled him around to looking at Kate as well.

"Ah, Miss Marsh?"

Kate swallowed, and said, "Well, I think the _Last Supper_ , da Vinci's at least, is a great example of that perspective and three-point perspective. His use of multiple elements to highlight different levels of depth marked a significant improvement in realism over European works of previous centuries."

Victoria's hand slowly lowered to the table, a glare usually reserved for Rachel receiving praise settling on her face. Taylor, meanwhile, didn't know whether to be more freaked out by the fact that she was pretty sure she had just heard Victoria's thoughts, or by the fact that Kate had had nearly the same thought, nevermind answering first.

"Excellent, Kate, and yes, da Vinci is a master of perspective, although I doubt that's a surprise to any of you."

As Jefferson continued with the lecture, Victoria seemed to lose focus on him entirely, instead keeping her eyes locked on Kate while glancing occasionally to her notebook, mostly writing without looking. Kate, meanwhile, seemed either uncapable or unwilling to look away from Jefferson. At the very least, she absolutely would not look back at Victoria, even when her posture became so overtly pointed at Kate that Rachel started to make pointed glances between Taylor, Victoria, and Kate, as if Taylor could provide an answer.

Taylor had none to give her, so she only returned a shrug. She might be a witch, but she wasn't omniscient.

* * *

"So, I guess I didn't ask you about last night."

"What?"

As Taylor and Victoria pushed out the steel doors to the Blackwell campus, Taylor looked over curiously, not even sure if Victoria was talking to her.

"You know, your date last night. Courtney told me you were going out with Rachel at like, midnight, right? How'd it go?"

"Oh." Taylor shrugged, no lies prepared. "It was pretty cool. We talked a lot and drank wine and ate ice cream."

"Huh," Victoria replied. Then, "Got a second date planned?"

"Kind of. I guess." They may have the rough outline of a second date, but when would be good to ambush Warren still wasn't super clear. Neither of them had much experience with jumping people.

They sat down next to the fountain of Jeremiah Blackwell, waiting for Courtney to get out before heading for the dorms. A few seconds after them came Max and Kate, chatting animatedly as they made their way down the steps. No sign of Rachel - she must have stayed behind to talk to Mr. Jefferson again.

"Ugh," Victoria groaned, hunching forward on her seat.

Taylor was hoping she wouldn't respond like this. "Does it really bother you that much that I'm dating her?"

"What?" Victoria turned to look, confused, then understood the question. "Oh, no, whatever. I just missed the vacation from having little Kate Marsh around."

Although they had already passed Victoria and Taylor, Max turned to glare as Victoria said that, making eye contact with Taylor in the process. After a second, though, she returned her attention to Kate again. Had she seriously overheard?

Taylor nodded, turning back to Victoria. "Yeah, I guess. It's not like she talks very much." Pause. "Although, did that answer she gave today seem . . . weird to you?"

Victoria's face was unreadable for several seconds. She blinked a few times, no answer forthcoming.

 _"Yeah, super weird. It's like she read my mind."_

Victoria shrugged. "No. She just bugs me - like, her voice does, I guess."

Taylor's eyes narrowed, and Victoria looked away, her hand sliding over her mouth as she turned to her own thoughts. Except, Taylor really could hear them.

 _"Why is Max even friends with her? Does she really need help looking like a freak?"_

Taylor swallowed, not sure she wanted to go down this path. But she wasn't sure she could resist, either. "Well, she kind of creeps me out, I guess. Goody two-shoes make me nervous."

Victoria nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Taylor lifted her hand, hesitating for a second before lowering her nails onto Victoria's back, scratching as well as she could through the layers much too thick for the weather. "I don't like hypocrites, either," she said; "at least I could own up to it when I was getting wasted the night before church."

Finally, a smirk settled on Victoria's face, but Taylor could tell it was fake.

Victoria thought, _"I guess that was the last time I saw her, huh? The party? She wasn't in photography last week. What happened?"_

Victoria said, "And you didn't exactly end up making out with the football team either, huh?"

 _The closest I've ever gotten to making out with a football player was when I gave Zach a concussion._

"True. I think I mostly cried and spent the next morning trying to make it look like I wasn't hung over during sacrament."

Was pretending that she didn't know what Victoria was thinking really what was best? It's not like Taylor had ever been one to pry, but it felt different when Victoria couldn't choose to share her thoughts or not. At least, if she gave up the information willingly, it wouldn't really be like Taylor was stealing it from her head, right?

"Are you . . ." _how to phrase it._ "Are you worried about her?"

Victoria looked repulsed by the question. "Who, Kate? What do I care if she gets smashed? It's a party, right?"

 _"What am I, defending her?"_

"I just-" Taylor began, but cut herself off. Coming down the steps came Brooke Scott, her backpack on one shoulder and her headphones in. She stuck around in the quad most days, but today she quickly made her way past Taylor and Victoria and made her way towards the dorms.

Courtney came a few steps after her, waving as she reached the bottom of the steps. "Hey guys," she greeted as Victoria and Taylor stood.

"Hey," Taylor replied, but her attention was drawn away, her eyes following Brooke. Maybe this was the right time to talk to her? It's not like she got a lot of chances.

"Hey, uh, I'll be right back. I have to talk to Brooke real quick."

"Why do you - oh, all right then." Courtney's hand raised and then quickly dropped as Taylor zipped past her and Victoria, quickly picking up into a jog to make it to Brooke before she got too far.

"Hey, Brooke? Brooke? Brooke?! Hey Brooke!" Taylor finally got over her hesitance, tapping Brooke repeatedly on the shoulder to get her attention.

Brooke didn't even jump, she just turned to look at who it was, pulling out one of her earbuds. Loud EDM pulsed from the tiny speakers, distracting Taylor for a second. At least, until Brooke said, "Yeah?"

"Oh." _Shit, shit, shit._ "Uh, hey."

Brooke's eyes darted around, confused and uncomfortable. "Hey?" She hoisted her backpack higher on her shoulder.

"Um. Hey Brooke. So. I have a weird question for you if that's cool?"

Brooke shrugged slowly, raising her palms up at the same time. "I guess?"

"Yeah, uh, hey." Taylor reached up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, so. I heard you were kind of going out with Warren, and I was wondering - has he been acting kind of weird lately? Like, aggressive or scary?"

Brooke had this impressive ability to emote a lot and yet still look understatedly sarcastic, and she used that ability to look as incredulous as possible. "Are we talking about the same Warren? The kid's too shy to keep a hug from being awkward, nevermind get in your face. I literally have to make sure I don't break him with too rough of words - he's a total snowflake. Why?" As she talked, Brooke tapped the volume down on her ear buds, but Taylor could still hear the music.

"Ah," Taylor replied, having not planned on how to pull herself out of this situation.

Brooke shifted her weight on her legs, the look of disbelief becoming suspicious. "Is this why you were creeping on our conversation during the Vortex Club party?"

Taylor shook her head. "Nah, that was just me being awkward. I promise."

"Well, all right," Brooke replied. "But, no, Warren's the same old Warren. . . unfortunately. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I'm . . . not sure."

Taylor and Brooke maintained a few more seconds of awkward eye contact, then Brooke said, "All right then. That it?"

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. Thanks." She tucked her hair back again. "Sorry."

Brooke shrugged. "Whatever," more 'no problem' than dismissive.

Taylor sighed as Brooke turned and continued walking towards the dorms, turning the corner on the ramp.

 _Well, that was pointless._

"Oh, hey Warren. What's up?"

Taylor froze in place. _No, please no._

"Ahh, not much. Going to have lunch out here - you down?" That was definitely Warren's voice. Oh _crap_.

"Yeah, sure."

As their steps started to come back up the ramp, Taylor did her best to move next to the wall, sitting up against it. She pulled out her phone, doing her best to pay neither of them mind as they made their way past her on the path.

Unfortunately, after a second, the steps paused. "Sup Taylor?"

Taylor tried, for a second at least, to avoid looking up. But she wasn't quite that good. When she looked up, Warren and Brooke stood on the path a few steps away from her, staring at her curiously. Warren had an inexplicable grin on his face.

Taylor chose not to respond, and after a second, they lost interest and walked away.

* * *

Rachel was running late to PE Tuesday morning. Taylor had to admit that she was thankful for that - she wasn't sure she could handle being undressed in front of Rachel anymore. Something about kissing her just left Taylor self-conscious, and it was even worse that Rachel had seen her arms without an undershirt Friday morning.

"Hey Taylor."

Taylor turned, glad to have her shorts on now that someone was talking to her, and found Juliet and Dana standing there in the center of the locker aisle. Dana was already changed, but Juliet was still in her school clothes, a notebook and pen in hand.

 _Oh no_. Juliet was on a case. It was like this a few weeks ago when she had been interviewing a bunch of people about the Vortex Club, trying to figure out why it had 'changed so drastically in recent years.'

"Oh, hey Juliet. Dana."

"Hey," Dana greeted.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Juliet said.

Taylor glanced down the row of lockers. There were two other people in the row, but it looked like they would be clearing out soon. Still no sign of Rachel.

She shrugged. "I guess," she said, immediately dropping into the flat tone she used to keep people from picking up the conversation.

Juliet nodded, also apparently satisfied with this tactic, and adopted a soft, flat voice. "So, Dana told me about what happened Thursday night - I'm sorry. Do you know anything more since then?"

Taylor shook her head. She knew how she got home into her bed, but that was all. "No, sorry. How are you feeling? You didn't have a concussion?"

"Nah," she replied, already making a note of something in her notebook. Then she paused and looked up, "Well, I don't actually know. I don't really have insurance, so . . ."

Dana nudged Juliet as someone walked past them, and the three of them stood quietly until they were gone, the other person a few seconds after them. Seriously, still no Rachel? At least it would make the conversation easy.

"So, hey. I know this has got to suck, but can you tell me what drugs you may have been on Thursday night at the party? Just like, it definitely sounds like you got drugged, but it would help to know if drugs you took did it or if someone slipped you something."

Taylor thought on it for a little bit. Most of the time she just drank and smoked weed, but occasionally Nathan or Victoria would bring something to share. Had they that night? No, Nathan hadn't even shown up that night, had he? And Victoria had just hung out with Zach the whole time. And Taylor hadn't even drank that much. She hadn't felt like passing out until after all the crazy stuff with the moons.

"No . . . I'm pretty sure I just drank some. And I smoked weed, but that was like, an hour before the party, it had basically worn off already. So I was drunk, but not like black-out drunk."

Dana's face pinched with concern, but Juliet just started to write, her face barely changing. It felt weird even talking to Juliet, nevermind dealing with the open secret of Taylor's trip to the hospital Friday afternoon.

"So, that's good . . ." Juliet said as she finished writing on that page, flipping back a page to where some notes had already been written. It looked like some kind of flow chart from the brief second Taylor got a look at it.

Dana's eyes shifted to Juliet for a second, then back to Taylor. "What Juliet means to say is that sucks, but we can use it."

Juliet nodded, looking back up from her notepad with an, "Mhm."

Taylor tucked her hair behind her ear (she was starting to do it so much it was annoying her) and asked, "Oh?"

Dana gestured over at the bench, now that it had become clear that they were all going to be late for gym. She sat down first, then Taylor and Juliet sat on opposite sides of her; Taylor was happy for the barrier between her and Juliet, even if they were the ones mostly talking.

"So," Dana started, "Juliet and I figured that, if you got dosed, someone probably put something in the drinks, right? And whatever it was, they probably got it from someone who deals at the school."

Taylor blinked for a few seconds, slow on the uptake. Then she asked, "So, what, Nathan sold it to them? Or Stella?"

"Or . . ." Juliet started, looking over at Dana.

Dana's lip curled in disgust. "Or . . . my boyfriend's best friend. Justin deals sometimes, I guess, like mescaline and stuff. I don't want to think he'd sell someone roofies but he's . . ." she took a few seconds to think of the words. "Kind of an idiot?" she concluded.

Juliet shrugged and said, "Well, I don't really think Stella would sell that sort of stuff either, but _someone_ did it."

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. But like, do you think they'd tell us?"

"Stella will," Juliet replied emphatically. "I don't know really know Justin, though, and Nathan . . ."

Of course. On top of the fact that they wouldn't want to expose themselves, boys protect each other. When it finally comes down to it, they don't find stuff like this reason enough to rat on each other. They'd probably say Taylor had lied and keep selling date rape drugs without finding any dissonance.  
 _Boys are so loyal to each other like that - as long as it's at the expense of girls._

After a momentary pause, Dana followed up, "I could probably get Justin to tell me. If I just like, hint at what happened, he'll probably try and beat the guy up himself. Especially if it was one of my friends who got hurt and it was his fault."

Taylor would have liked to bask in the word 'friend,' but as she realized how the process of elimination was playing out, her heart sank. "So, that means . . . I should try and ask Nathan, then? Like, it makes sense."

"I don't . . ." Dana said, looking from Taylor to Juliet.

Juliet, however, just gave her an expectant look, then turned her attention back to Taylor. "I don't think you'll get anything out of Nathan, whatever you do. He's kind of . . ."

Taylor remembered Juliet's wording from the article: "A privileged misogynist who had to buy his way onto the football team so people wouldn't notice he liked photography?"

Juliet nodded, looking impressed. "I mean, yeah."

Dana added, "Whatever you do, I don't think he's going to just tell you who he's dealing to or what he's dealing them. But I know he uses his phone for dealing - Trevor buys from him sometimes, I guess, and they did it all over text. So if you could get his phone . . .?"

There might be another way, Taylor thought. This weird witch stuff that was happening - mind reading Victoria, or whatever she'd done to Logan at the party - Nathan wouldn't be able to just lie and threaten his way around it. But if she even brought it up enough for him to think about it, he might freak out. He was really scary when he got mad, and it's not like Victoria was going to back her up here. Would she? If it came down to it, Taylor versus Nathan, who would Victoria choose.

Taylor had always wondered that, hadn't she? Maybe she'd have the chance to find out real soon.

Slowly, Taylor nodded. "Okay."

Juliet asked, "Okay?", clearly surprised.

Dana recoiled at Taylor's compliance, then asked, "Seriously? You think you can get Nathan's phone?"

The steel doors that led into the locker room from the outside opened, and Taylor turned to look as hurried steps clicked over the tile. Rachel appeared, out of breath and far, far too late to dodge a tardy.

Taylor nodded, looking at Rachel instead of the others, but answered in her flat tone, "Yeah. I'll do it, whatever." Then she called, "Hey Rachel!" and waved.

There was a quick cluster of greetings and waving as Rachel moved from a near-jog to hugging Taylor (her skin scorched from the heat outside, but Taylor liked it), but then she rushed for her locker.

"You guys are super late!" she said. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah," Juliet replied, suddenly raising a hand to her temple. "I just have like, a wicked headache, so Taylor was keeping me some company." The lie came out so smoothly it was like she didn't even need to think about it.

"Oh." Rachel turned, shirtless and fiddling slowly with her belt, concern clear for a brief second before realization replaced it. "Oh! Shit, that sucks, I'm sorry."

Rachel's voice appeared so clearly as she turned back to her locker, that this time Taylor didn't have any doubts that the voice was in her head. _"Fucking Zach. Fuck you."_

 _Great. Now I have two more voices in my head._

"It's whatever," Juliet replied. She stood up from the bench, still carefully cradling her own head. "Guess I should get to class, though."

"Yeah . . . see ya," Taylor said, waving.

After a few more seconds, the doors closed behind Dana and Juliet, and Rachel looked over her shoulder again. "So what was that?" she asked.

Taylor stood up, walking over to Rachel and leaning against a nearby locker. "They're trying to help me find who might have dosed me at the party. They want me to steal Nathan's phone to see who he dealt to."

Rachel didn't bother to hide her surprise, but she also was focusing on changing as fast as she could. "Well, all right, holy shit. How are you going to do that?"

Taylor shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I have like, super powers now? So I thought I'd try that."

"Ha," Rachel gave an empty laugh. Once she was dressed, she started putting her hair up. Then, she did a double take.

"Wait, are you serious?" she asked. "Super powers?"

Taylor nodded, looking away from Rachel to inspect her own nails. She hadn't been sure how to share this moment. To everyone else, she would probably sound crazy, but telling Rachel just felt like bragging.  
As casually as she could, Taylor said, "Yeah. I mean, just like . . . mind control. And mind reading a little bit."

Once her hair was up, Rachel just stood there, shaking her head in disbelief with wide eyes. "Well, okay. That's . . ."

 _"Kind of awesome."_

" . . . kind of scary. I mean, it's got to be weird, right?"

It was unnerving as fuck, to be sure. But this was probably the first time in Taylor's life where she felt like she had a clearer idea of what Rachel was thinking than Rachel had for her. The sudden shift of this new power was immediately delightful, and it brought a smile to Taylor's face.

However, Rachel seemed to pick up on the pause. "Shit, are you reading my mind right now?" Her face was filled with wonder, leaning forward a little. How much weirdness would it take before Rachel actually started getting uncomfortable? Taylor hadn't known how to handle one weird witch thing happening to her, nevermind all the weird shit happening to her now.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. You think my powers are cool . . . and you've got Ke$ha stuck in your head."

"Fuck," Rachel said, taking a step closer, reaching a hand up towards Taylor's face.

Taylor blinked, not quite sure what the touch was going to be for. Rachel looked down at her own hand, grew self-conscious, and drew her hand back, grabbing her wrist behind her back.

"Okay, okay. So. What am I thinking now?"

Taylor pushed off from the locker, facing Rachel directly. They were standing less than a pace away, which was nothing new, but something felt weird about the space between them. Normally, Rachel felt bigger than Taylor, even though she clearly wasn't. Right now though, Taylor felt tall, strong, big. The feeling of being in someone's thoughts was heady, even headier for the fact that Taylor didn't have to hide it.

At first there was nothing, but then, as Rachel relaxed, tucking away hair that wasn't there anymore, it came as a rush. _"Kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss-"_

"Ssshh, sshh, not so loud," Taylor said, fake-wincing. It turned out, when someone thought something on purpose, it was kind of like yelling - it just didn't really hurt.

Taylor reached out her hand, turning her palm up. She was nervous, but a newfound confidence glossed over that. She was different. She was powerful. And she was only just beginning to realize that.

"Try two?" she asked, her eyes meeting Rachel's. As a grin slowly crept up onto her face, it was mirrored on Rachel's until she seemed to shine.

"Okay," she said. She stepped forward, ignoring Taylor's hand to hold her face in her hands, standing on her toes (even if she didn't have to) to kiss Taylor. And it wasn't like their first kiss at all - none of the hesitation, none of the fear of fucking it up. Taylor didn't have to doubt if this was real. A giddiness rose in her, not entirely hers, as she wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist.

 _"She's going to find out,"_ Rachel thought, but Taylor couldn't think too much of it. There was something far too new to explore with every kiss.


	6. Episode 5: Moonlight Part II

**Pairings:** Christward, Amberchrist, Victaylor

 **Major Tags:** Fluff, magical girl, witch, magic, polyamory

 **Words:** ~ 9,000

 **Summary:** Taylor pulls off a heist in Nathan's room. While she's busy uncovering the secrets of his phone, a monster follows her to the outskirts of the town. Taylor has her second showdown with a shade. A new witch reveals themself.

* * *

Rachel and Taylor were severely tardy and giggly by the time they entered the gym. Luckily, that meant that they'd missed stretches, and people had already arranged themselves around the small badminton nets from last week. This time though, people were paired up to hit volley balls back and forth. There was one empty mini-court, though, and Dana and Juliet were standing against the wall next to it, Dana with a volley ball tucked under her arm.

Taylor unlinked her fingers from Rachel's, nodding her head over to Dana and Juliet. As they approached, Juliet took notice, smiling and waving. Which was . . . unusual.

"Sup?" Rachel asked once they made it over.

Dana shrugged. "I guess we're all tardy, but whatever. You're lucky we managed to talk you down from a truant, though."

Taylor smiled, clasping her hands in fake prayer. "Thank you, almighty Dana."

Dana looked the both up them up and down quickly, smirking. "Well, you two look happy."

Juliet butted in suddenly to ask, "So are you guys dating?" She stood up from against the wall, swishing a little. Taylor wasn't sure she had ever seen her so animated.

Rachel smiled nervously, and she and Taylor both made the nervous tic to fix their hair. "We're . . ." Rachel started, then immediately faltered. She raised her hand up towards Taylor, adding an, "Um . . ." but that just faltered as well.

 _"Are we dating? We never talked about it."_

* * *

Taylor wasn't exactly sure whether or not kissing meant they were dating, but rule of thumb said no. But they had gone on a date? "We're just . . ." but she quickly gave up trying to finish that sentence either.

Dana looked back and forth between the two of them as awkwardness beset all of them. Then she said, "Welllll, we'll come back to that one. Why don't we just-"

 _WHAM!_

A volleyball slammed into the wall over their heads, rebounding just behind Juliet, who screamed for a second before realizing what happened. When they checked who it had come from, though, Zach waved from the other side of an adjacent court. Quickly approaching their little group, though, was Logan. Taylor immediately took a step back, and she wasn't the only one - only Dana didn't seem to flinch, instead taking a few steps over to pick up the ball.

He raised a hand now, greeting her with a, "Yo."

"Hey," Dana replied curtly, tossing the ball a little too high so Logan had to step back to catch it.

Once he'd caught it, he took another step towards the four of them, but Dana immediately pivoted towards Taylor. "Hey, so, want to play volleyball?"

"S-sure," she replied, taking a look over at Rachel before the two of them moved to the other side of the court.

Unfortunately, this brought their path a little too close to Logan, who muttered, "Bitch."

Rachel turned to glare, but Taylor couldn't even bring her eyes up. He was back in his court by the time they got set up, and Taylor had to look up.

On the other side of the court, Dana stood alone, Juliet sitting back against the wall, unable to play thanks to never changing. Dana lifted the ball to about stomach height, then looked over at Rachel and Taylor. "You ready?" she called.

 _"Literally never."_

"Lay 'em on me, girl," Rachel called back, clasping her hands together.

Taylor snorted, knowing her wrists were probably going to be sore by the time class was over. Dana was a server for the girls' volleyball team. This was going to suck.

At least it was better than playing with those football assholes.

* * *

 **Taylor:** hey vic.

 **Victoria:** Hey T what's up?

 **Taylor:** not much  
 **Taylor:** just wondered if we could hit up nathan and smoke

 **Victoria:** I've got my own if you just want to chill and do homework

 **Taylor:** nah i kind of want to hang out with nathan. maybe we can do homework during lab tomorrow? i don't think it's gonna take us long to take a pic of the mountains

 **Victoria:** Sure.  
 **Victoria:** I'll hit up Nathan and we can hang out tonight

 **Taylor:** cool

Taylor switched over to her new group text, **Nancy Drew 1.2**

 **Taylor:** yo so i'm gonna try and get nathan's phone tonight.

 **Juliet:** You sure? I mean, even if you get it, it's going to be locked you know.  
J **uliet:** He's not dumb.

 **Taylor:** i think i've got that worked out, don't worry  
 **Taylor:** or maybe do, who knows

Taylor's plan was, in fact, ludicrous. She was _pretty_ sure she had mind controlled Logan somehow Thursday night when she got him to back off. At least, she had proven way more persuasive than she was before she had super powers, so that was close enough.

 **Dana:** Good luck  
 **Dana:** Text me if you need anything

 **Taylor:** yeah  
 **Taylor:** and thanks for helping me  
 **Taylor:** i know i've been super shitty to both of you guys  
 **Taylor:** but seriously thank you Juliet: If you end up getting Nathan expelled for dealing roofies we can call it even?

 **Taylor:** ha yeah  
 **Taylor:** shit wow that's what might happen isn't it  
 **Taylor:** that sucks

 **Juliet:** It kind of already sucks, honestly.

 **Taylor:** ha  
 **Taylor:** well if i die or disappear you'll know exactly who did it  
 **Taylor:** literally any member of the AB police department or Blackwell staff

* * *

Taylor's heart was already racing by the time she left her room that evening. The inevitability of her embarrassing failure when she tried to control Nathan only seemed clearer and clearer throughout the day until now she was actively blocking out her constant warnings to give up. Luckily, her body rarely seemed to communicate well with her head, and soon she found herself climbing the stairs up to the third floor of the dorms.

As she reached the first landing, the third-floor door opened and Samuel stepped through, dragging his cleaning supplies with him. The dormitories weren't very old but they were designed like shit, and accessibility changes had only started last week thanks to a local grant. As such, Samuel had to carry much of his supplies up and down the stairs every day. It was a damn uncomfortable thing to watch, as the cart was obviously not made to be carried, and yet he pulled it off several times a day, six days a week.

"Hey Samuel, do you need any help?"

As Taylor reached the top of the stairs, Samuel turned to look at her, the heavy steel door closing behind him with a loud _ka-chung_. "Why, I don't suppose so, Taylor, I'll manage. Do you need any help?"

See, now, this is why Taylor didn't usually talk to Samuel. She may not have the same visceral reaction as Victoria just because his voice made it sound like he was trying to tell a ghost story 24/7, but he rebounded everything you said in uncomfortable ways.

"Ah. Um, no, I don't think so. Just going to go hang out with some friends." She kept her arms close to her body, scratching to remind them to feel sensation.

Samuel nodded. "It's good to have friends," he replied. "They keep each other safe in dark times. At least tonight is bright."

"Uh . . . yeah." Taylor looked him in the eye, hoping she could get some peek into this guy's mind. Still, no voice appeared, so they just sat there in silence.

Without breaking eye contact at all, Samuel said, "I need to keep vacuuming now."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Taylor walked around the cart so he could access the stairs, still clutching her own body.

Samuel pushed his cart closer to the edge, then got on the stairs so he could lift it. But before he did, he paused and said, "It's a beautiful night tonight. It might be nice to take a walk.

"Yeah," she replied. Once he lifted the cart, though, she just pushed through the door and headed for Nathan's room.

* * *

Smoking in Nathan's room was always, inevitably, a little uncomfortable. The bondage art on the walls was one thing - Taylor had accepted long ago that what was creepy for her was 'artistic' to some people - but it was really the wall of foreign slasher films that Taylor didn't like. There's no way you watch that many people get murdered in French and walk away intact. Taylor barely managed to keep her mind intact when Victoria thought it was bourgeois to say random idioms in French. Still, there was one use to the room that never wore out: no matter how much it smelled like pot, you'd never get busted if you were in Nathan's room.

Taylor really would have liked to be high for this. But for some reason, no matter how much she was smoking, she wasn't really feeling it right now.

Victoria and Nathan were chatting about this football season, which Nathan was compelled to care about and Victoria somehow, genuinely cared about. Like most conversations when the three of them were together, Taylor sat out of it, played on her phone, or just sort of looked around the room and pet soft objects.

"Hey, that reminds me," Nathan said, (Taylor had no idea what preceded that) "how did you get chosen as the number two for that photo contest? I didn't think that was how that worked."

Victoria grimaced. She and Nathan sat next to each other on the couch under the projector, alternating between trying to relax and hunched over smoking from their pipes.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I was probably on the table to begin with, and when Max didn't show, Mark just made an executive decision. Especially if we were the last two in deliberations, I don't think anyone would question it."

Honestly, Taylor had been trying not to question that very thing. As much as she wanted to believe that Victoria was the obvious second, there was no way Evan and Rachel were far behind. Even taking family influence into account, the Chases didn't have much of a leg up on the Harris family in terms of artistic renown or the Ambers in community goodwill. The only thing that made Victoria seem like a sure second, only behind Max, was Jefferson's preference - he adored Max, and Victoria had been kissing his ass since day one. No one would want to say that out loud, and it certainly wouldn't be Taylor.

Victoria blew out a thin stream of smoke like a sigh. Then she said, "Guess I can't compete with a pet project, huh?"

Nathan side-eyed her. "Pet project? What makes you say that?" His hands twitched as he talked. Not that that was unusual for Nathan, but it still caught Taylor's attention.

Victoria returned the glance, then rolled her eyes. "Oh, just, when you're in class with him you can tell. Lets her off the hook, gives her lots of praise, tells her about photography opportunities after class, lectures as if it's just for her. Well, her and Rachel. The two of them together are the worst."

"Oh. Huh." Nathan looked at the floor. He didn't even reply with some witty, derogatory comment. Then he looked up at Taylor and asked, "You went to the party Thursday with Rachel, right T? Like, she asked you out."

Taylor shrugged. Then, she realized that was a question with clear answers. "Oh, yeah, I guess. She asked me, but then she couldn't make it."

Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Yeah," he said, "that sounds like Rachel all right."

 _I need to put out a notice that no one is allowed to be mean to Rachel while we're dating or else I'll mind control them into the swimming pool._

Taylor drummed her fingers on her jeans, criss-crossed on the bed. "I mean, we still went out Sunday. She didn't just flake."

"Oh, okay," Nathan said, suddenly grinning. "And just why'd she bail on the party, then?"

Taylor gripped her jeans as well as she could as she became flustered. "She - she had to do a thing with her mom."

Nathan chuckled. "Oh, okay, sure."

Victoria swatted his shoulder and shot him a look somewhere between an eye-roll and a glare. "Just stop it, Nate."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Sure, sure. Look, I'm's glad Taylor's getting some ass as we all are." His eyes rolled up as if he were picturing something. "Kind of a lot of ass, actually."

Victoria flushed, but that was far enough that Taylor stopped feeling so flustered. "Shut. Up. Nathan," she growled. "I don't want to hear what you have to say about Rachel's ass. Or Rachel at all, actually."

"Fine, fine." He leaned back on the sofa, but he wouldn't get rid of his pleased smirk, and that was what was pissing Taylor off the most, honestly.

A few more minutes passed by while Victoria and Nathan talked and Taylor sulked, wondering if she was going to have to defend Rachel against all of her friends, sooner or later. The only people who were being happy for her were Dana and Juliet, unlike everyone else who basically just agreed to back off. She wondered if Rachel was having to do this same thing on her end, hound Chloe and Max about being mean for . . . well, Taylor had no idea what they'd choose to be mean behind her back for, but she knew she wouldn't want it said about her. Why wouldn't people just get that all of this bullshit high school drama was going to disappear the second they graduated, but Taylor's chances for _love_ and _companionship_ and all that stupid Disney _bullshit_ were never going to stop being limited? What was the point in treating a nice girl badly?

Thoughts of Dana and Juliet began to pool in Taylor's mind, and she wanted to think about anything else.

Victoria spoke up. "I'll, uh, be right back," she said as she got up.

Taylor latched onto the distraction. "Where're you going?"

"Uhh, bathroom. You need to go?"

 _This is perfect._ Although Taylor did kind of have to go.

Taylor shook her head, "Nah, I'm good."

"Okay."

Once Victoria was out of the room and definitely out of earshot, Taylor turned her attention to Nathan.

"Hey, Nate," she said, scooting forward on the bed, "I need a favor."

Nathan immediately looked irritated, but he held it back enough to ask, "Like what?"

Taylor took a quick breath to prepare herself for the practiced lie, what she had been banking every possibility of not outright trying to steal his phone on. "I want to buy something you don't normally sell. But I know Frank used to have it."

Nathan just quirked his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish the request.

"Oxycodone. I know Drew used to run it, and I need some."

Now he looked concerned. "Is this . . . about your mom?" he asked.

Taylor looked down, rubbing her arms like she did when she _was_ anxious. And she was anxious, just not for the reasons that she wanted to look anxious. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. "I just need it quickly. Can you get it for me?"

He exhaled slowly as he thought about it, hesitating. Or maybe he just really was concerned about her mom, it wasn't that easy to tell. Taylor wasn't picking up anything from his mind, after all.

"Yeah, yeah, totally. How much do you need?"

Taylor licked her lips, working out the smoothest option for her plan. "Not a lot right now, but I'll probably need more."

He nodded. "Gotcha. I gotta tell you though, T, this stuff's not cheap."

"I know. But I'll pay."

He shrugged. "Alright, then. I'll set something up."

"Thank you."

She waited for a few seconds while they sat in awkward silence. When it became clear he wasn't going to get something set up right now, though, Taylor said, "Could you do it as soon as you can? I don't want to be pushy, I'd just prefer Victoria didn't know about this."

"Totally," he replied, waving his hand to dismiss the possibility. "I'll get it going tonight, you'll have your oxy in a few days. I won't be able to take a tab for something like this, though."

Taylor nodded . . . but that still wasn't enough. "Could you do it right now? I'm just really worried, is all."

Finally, Nathan seemed to catch on, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I . . . could. But I think I'll just do it after you two leave."

Taylor was frightened that she was going to fail. Luckily, it was easy enough to channel that into frustration. "Nathan - I know you deal, and I know you're buying from Frank. You don't have anything to hide from me - would you just do it? Please?"

They entered into a staring match, while Nathan's mouth hung slightly open in irritated disbelief. Still, Taylor was _small_ and _harmless_ and, hypothetically, a friend to Nathan, so she kept up the stare as long as she could.

And Nathan was the one who finally caved. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Just don't fucking talk to anyone about how I do business, okay?"

Nathan grabbed the bottom of his couch and scooted forward, dragging the whole thing with him an inch. Then he turned around and reached over it, pulling something from the backside. When he turned back around, Taylor could not believe her luck - it was a cell phone, but not his regular one. She hadn't even thought about that. He opened it up and, with another discontent sigh, started typing a message.

 _God, I hope this works._

"Nathan, I need you to give me the phone."

His eyes flicked up to her. "What the fuck?" He didn't seem to be sure exactly what tone to use, so it came out as muddy confusion.

Taylor took an unsteady breath. She gripped her knees and tried to remember the feeling she'd had when she stood up to Logan.

"Nathan . . ." she lifted her right hand, slipping it into her pocket. She dragged a finger over the surface of the cold stone. "Give me that phone."

She almost yelled when she saw his pupils dilate suddenly - it looked even freakier in bright light than it had in the red of the End of the World party. He looked down at his phone, then up at Taylor.

He shrugged. "Yeah, whatever, take it." He held out his phone, but otherwise sat still.

Taylor scurried on all fours to the edge of the bed, then reached out and snatched his phone. He was mid-message to an unknown number. She hit up a few times to feel secure that the phone wouldn't go to sleep mode, then stood up.

"Yeah, thanks Nate. And when Victoria gets back from the bathroom, just tell her I went to bed."

"Roger."

Taylor began to walk as fast as she could as soon as she was outside of the room, making her way into the stairwell. Then she pulled the phone to her face again, trying to figure it out as quickly as she could. She hit End until she got to the home screen, then found the **Settings**. Settings to **Personal Information**? No, that was a profile. Back, down to **Security**. Yes, perfect - **Password settings**. **Change Password**. Input current password to change password.

 _Fuck! I should have thought of that first._

She didn't want to try and go back to the room. First, she had no idea if she could pull the Jedi mind tricks on Nathan a second time, and secondly, getting caught by Victoria sounded like one of the most uncomfortable, nevermind unexplainable, situations Taylor could imagine. No, she would just have to get all the information she could without letting the phone die or fall asleep. If Nathan wasn't the dealer . . . she was going to be in for some total shit.

Taylor thought about actually going to her room to figure this out, but there were two issues: one, she needed to make a call (and Victoria might check on her sooner or later), and two, she had no idea when Nathan would be capable of realizing what he'd done and come to get his phone.

 _You're going to be okay. Just get somewhere you won't be found._

It looked like it was time to take a walk.

* * *

 _Dana:_ "Wait, holy shit, you got the phone?"

 _Taylor:_ "Ha, yeah! But I can't change the password so I'm just kind of tapping buttons every few seconds to keep the screen lit. I don't know how much longer I'll have it, so, I need you and Juliet to take notes or something. Is she nearby?

 _Dana:_ "Yeah, we're just hanging out in her room. Can I put you on speaker?"

 _Taylor:_ "Please don't. Do you have headphones?"

 _Dana:_ "Yeah, sure. Who do you want to talk to?"

 _Taylor:_ "I, um. Not sure."

 _Dana:_ "Juliet says she'll do it - she's a better note-taker than I am. Give us a sec."

 _Taylor:_ "Mmhm."

Ever since she'd left school property, Taylor had gotten the feeling that she was being followed. Still, Blackwell was not that far from downtown and it wasn't late enough for no one to be on the streets, so she couldn't tell if the feeling had any merit. She walked as quickly as she could without looking like a total freak, alternating between looking at the phone and up at her surroundings.

 _Juliet:_ "Hey, Taylor, I'm here and I've got my notepad. What do you want me to write?"

 _Taylor:_ "None of the contacts in the phone are labelled, so I just need you to separate them and we'll work it out, okay?"

 _Juliet:_ "Sure, sure. What's the first one say?"

 _Taylor:_ "Okay, so, the first one looks like Nathan setting up a deal to buy something called 'G.' He made deals on 9/10 and 9/25. The first time, he complains that he got sold water."

 _Juliet:_ "Water?"

 _Taylor:_ "Like a watered-down product, I think. I don't know what G is - maybe Dana can look it up? I'm going on to the second one."

 _Juliet:_ "Okay. I got the drug, dates, and the complaint down."

 _Taylor:_ "Cool. Second contact, all the messages are more recent. Nathan asks repeatedly if there's any parties going on. The other person tells him to go to one of the parties 'his daddy' pays for. He says that's not enough and he needs a rager. Other person tells him to get bent. That was . . . oh, last week. 10/9."

 _Juliet:_ "Okay, weird, but whatever. What's next?"

 _Taylor:_ "It's literally just Nathan buying weed every few days for like the entire summer. I think this is just Frank's regular phone he's texting or something."

 _Juliet:_ "Okay, sure. Anything else?"

 _Taylor:_ "Yeah. Okay, wow - fourth contact is a lot. It's three messages that Nathan sent.  
"Here's the first one: 'Hey whore. Keep your fucking mouth shut or else. I know where you sleep.'"

 _Juliet:_ "Jesus fuck, Nathan. But, yeah, okay, go on."

 _Taylor:_ "The first one was last month, 9/16. Second one: 'Next time it won't be pig's blood. Feminazis will be exterminated.'"

 _Juliet:_ "Nathan's such a fucking red-piller. I really hope it's him."  
 _Juliet:_ "Oh and real quick, Dana wants me to tell you that 'G' might mean 'GHB', which is a muscle relaxant. It's a party drug that - come again? - can induce comas or death when mixed with alcohol. So it's a depressant, that's all we've really got there."

 _Taylor:_ "All right. The third message reads, 'What the fuck are you?' That's it."

 _Juliet:_ "Hmm. When were those last two messages sent?"

 _Taylor:_ "The second one was on 10/8. The last one was on 10/10."

 _Juliet:_ "October 10 . . . that was Thursday, right? What time did he send that?"

 _Taylor:_ "Um, about 11:30pm."

 _Juliet:_ "Wow, okay, ominous. But I guess we know what he was doing instead of going to the Vortex Club party, sheesh. Uh, is there more?"

 _Taylor:_ "Unfortunately, yeah."

Taylor had gotten through most of the town and was starting to walk along the hybrid of low-income homes and dirt roads that made up the northeastern corner of Arcadia Bay. And now, when she checked over her shoulder, she knew she was being followed. Not just by a person, either. She could see the flicker behind her, but it was making no attempts to catch up with her. Sooner or later, she was going to get cornered by this thing, and she was going to have to fight her way out.

 _I can get to the park. Maybe I'll have enough time to call someone if I can't figure out how to get my staff back. God, I don't want to do this._

 _Taylor:_ "Um, so, fifth contact. Only one message, real recent - 10/12. It says verbatim, 'Nathan, I know this must be a confusing time for you, but you have to believe me that this is for your own good. I wanted to wait until you were ready to receive this gift, but circumstances demanded more of both of us. Don't fuck it up.'"

 _Juliet:_ "So like, quick question - what the fuck is Nathan's life? Who has messages like this in their phone?"

 _Taylor:_ "Ha! I super don't know but I'm freaking out, to be honest. And there's one more. This one's got a few messages."

 _Juliet:_ "Okay, just lay them on me. Try and stay calm, Taylor, we'll handle this."

Taylor glanced back. The thing was staying almost a full block behind at all times, but it was getting harder and harder to see anything but its flaming eyes and fear made it hard to breathe.

 _Taylor:_ "Yeah, yeah, I am, I'm good. Here we go. The first one is from Nathan, and it says, 'Everything went great. Meet me in 30.' But about an hour later there's a message from the unknown contact that says, 'I don't know how you managed to ruin this, but consider yourself on probation. I wish to share my wisdom with you, but as long as you continue to behave like a tweaked out teen instead of the man you tell me you are, it's wasted. This will not happen again.' Nathan's message is from a little after 11:00 on 10/3, the other message is just past midnight on 10/4."

 _Juliet:_ "Hm. Yeah, okay, Dana would like me to say, 'what the fuuuucckkk what the fuck what the fuck?'

 _Taylor:_ "Ha! Yeah, same. And, hey look, I think I have to go, could I say goodbye to Dana?"

 _Juliet:_ "Oh, um, sure. One sec."

Taylor was on the path up to the park, and she was really banking on having a dramatic flip-around-to-face-her-opponent moment. She felt like hanging up immediately before a fight would give them the upper hand and, well, she needed any sort of help that she could get.

 _Dana:_ "Taylor?"

 _Taylor:_ "Yeah, hey Dana. I just wanted to let you know that I have to go. I'm being followed and I'm, uh, I'm going to call the police now. But I wanted to say thank you for helping me! You and Juliet are so sweet."

 _Dana:_ "My god, Taylor, are you going to be okay? Where are you?"

 _Taylor:_ "I'm in the city park like a mile north of the school. But I'll be okay, don't worry! I can take care of myself."

 _Dana:_ "Okay, just call the police. Juliet and I can come get you and-"

It was time. Taylor couldn't put this off anymore.

 _Taylor:_ "Don't come. I've got to go now, love you! Bye."

Taylor hit 'end', and immediately winced. She did _not_ mean to say that. But maybe now was not the time to be worried about embarrassing herself in front of Dana when she had a demon or whatever to embarrass herself in front of.

Taylor reached into her pocket, made sure the gem was right where she left it, and paused. "You haven't been very stealthy, you know!"

She pivoted, expecting to find the shade coming up the path and into the field where she stood.

But she didn't. It was Logan. He had his hands in his letterman's jacket pockets and didn't even seem to realize Taylor was there - it was like he was just out for a stroll in the park one night. It was late enough at night that, if he weren't such a recognizable giant and the moon weren't nearly full, Taylor would probably have no idea who she was looking at. She refused to believe it was a coincidence that the shade was gone and Logan was here.

After a few more seconds, Logan's eyes fell on Taylor, and he stopped walking.

They stood about thirty paces apart - far enough that Taylor felt uncomfortable about having a confrontation out loud, but she'd also much prefer to keep him at a distance for the feeling of security.

"Oh, is that Taylor?" he called. "Weird meeting you here, huh?!"

Oh god. She hadn't been prepared for the pre-fight banter.

"Ha, yeah, too weird." _Fuck, no, say something witty._ "Kind of like your relationship with Dana."

 _What!? No! That's just going to piss him off!_

"Oof. Y'know, really, that hurts _right here_ ," he said, tapping his fingers over his heart. Then, he snapped his fingers and pointed at her, as if he'd just remembered something. "Funny you should mention that, though. I think I happen to remember you having something to do with that going sour." He took a step forward, put a hand up beside his face and stage-whispered (about as loud as you possibly could, honestly), "Speaking of which, how is her and Justin? I've never seen someone try so hard to get cucked before."

"What? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Taylor actually, literally didn't know what that meant, but she would have been equally confused if she did.

He just shook his head. "Taylor, Taylor, Taylor. When are you going to learn that you wouldn't have so many problems if you just shut up and stayed out of people's way? Maybe then you wouldn't come off as such a schizo bitch."

Taylor could feel something around her now. It was like a thin fog seeped from her person and slowly made everything hazier, the moonlight dimmer. The longer this conversation went on, the more sure she was that she could kill this thing.

"You know what, Logan? You were just fucking irritating when you were some football player. Even when you were hooking up with Dana you were never anything but some dumbfuck linebacker who had to beg his way into a relationship. You weren't even worth manipulating because you were too fucking stupid to take instructions."

She could feel the light of the moon fading away, and there was little she could see in the field except for Logan - the fog wasn't just a blur now, it drifted over the grass and blot out the stars like LA smog. She wasn't sure if she should be scared - but she wasn't. Not anymore.

She started to laugh. "But now? Now that you're some monster? I'm happy, Logan. It's finally worth it to hurt you. And I'm so, so glad that I can." She drew the red stone from her pocket and clasped it tightly in front of her heart. It didn't feel so cold anymore - she could feel some heat, some energy leaking out of her, comforting her.

Logan grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, all right, you're real scary." He tapped on his chest with both hands. "Give it your best shot."

It was like a heart beat that started from her hand. The gem began to glow, and a ripple ran through the fog, pulling some of it in, towards her. It began to swirl around her body, much like she had seen happen to Warren, only she wasn't drowning in it. When the pulse came again, the fog lifted from her, and the clothes were back. The robe, the lace glove, the gaudy bangles that no one in their right mind would wear. And so was the staff.

"Cool," Logan called, deadpan.

How the fog would behave became apparent to her immediately, though not in any rational way. All she knew was it only took a small motion.

She gripped her staff with both hands and swiped it through the air. A wave formed in the fog, dense and utterly black. She knew it was dangerous, and for a second, when she saw only Logan in front of it, she wondered if this might kill him.

Just before the mass struck him, however, a gout of flame appeared in front of him, and the wave broke. When Taylor recovered from the flash of light, at first she thought that Logan had disappeared.

Instead, he was replaced. The shade that stood where he once stood wasn't like the first - it was so much larger, more than eight feet tall at least, and the fire wrapped around his strange arms as well. But the one thing that was the same, the same it had been every time, was that Cheshire smile like a window to Hell.

 _Well. Fuck._

"Well, I was just getting-"

The distorted, horrible voice came across the field as if distance couldn't weaken it at all: "Shut up now, Taylor."

The fire that snaked around the shade's arms began to shift and squirm, then drop from its body like weights. He caught the ends of them while the rest plunged into the earth.

"Well, okay."

She wasn't sure quite what to think about that until the ground in front of her blasted itself into the air, and chains of fire emerged and wrapped themselves around her legs. She managed one shocked look up at the shade's grin before she was pulled forward, landing on her back as she was dragged over the field. She hit her head but managed to keep a grip on the staff.

She could see the chains of fire all the way back over at Logan, coiling around his arms as it fed up from the ground, pulling taut. She used the few, painful seconds she had before she reached him to come up with a plan, the only plan she had: jab him with the staff. _It had worked last time._

He was laughing when she finally reached him, the chains unraveling themselves from her body and back onto his. She jabbed the staff up at his chest hoping some magic would happen, but he just grabbed the head of the staff.

Fuck. Why did her magic have to require motion? That was so stupid and now she was going to die and-

"Hey, dickhead! Paws off my girlfriend!"

The shade froze, glancing over its shoulder at something Taylor couldn't see. When she tried to use the distraction to pull the staff free, he ripped it from her grasp and threw it away. She tried to scramble to her feet, but the fire just snaked its way off of his arm again and grabbed her ankle. She couldn't move, and she was only feet away from her staff.

Rachel stood at the end of the path to the park, wearing what was probably her only warm vest. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail like it was time for gym, and she looked about as pissed as if it were gym with Logan, too.

The shade turned to face Rachel, the same smile never fading from its face. "Another one?" it asked.

"Yeah." Rachel reached into the vest's breast pocket, and drew out a huge, shining white gem. "Another witch."

In a flash of light, everything about Rachel changed. Light that looked silver and liquid wrapped around her body. The gem shined, and beams of light seemed to grow from it. The dark fog that covered the field split where she stood, basking her in the light of the moon even once the flash was over.

In the darkness, Rachel shined, and a bow carved from pale wood sat in her hand. Her clothes, too, had vanished, replaced by a gray dress (with buttons down the center for no clear reason, and a faux belt. It looked kind of ridiculous) and black boots.

Luckily, Taylor was the only one who was distracted by the clothes. Rachel turned and lifted the bow, raising her hand to the string. She actually looked like she knew what she was doing (which was a relief, because Taylor had been pretty convinced they were both about to die).

The shade raised one of its massive hands and beckoned Rachel with a hand. "Fine then. Bring it on."

Once Rachel's hand touched the string, a bolt of light coalesced, knocked on the string. As she drew it back, its light radiated further, brighter. Taylor could clearly see her take a deep breath.

At the last second, Rachel pivoted just a little, and loosed the bolt. Another burst of flame rose to protect the shade. But it came like a flash and rent the chain that held Taylor and the fog around her alike. Taylor stumbled forward to her staff, catching herself from topping over entirely.

By the time the shade realized what had happened, Taylor already had the staff in her hands again. It spun around to face the blade of darkness that formed this time, Taylor charging at the giant, hoping to catch it by surprise.

The flame rose again, and Taylor's attack was dispelled into nothingness.

"Fancy trick, but-"

There was another flash, and then a shining arrow pierced through the shade's body.

Its hands fumbled along its body, wrapping around the arrow where the fire inside only seemed to glow brighter. "No," it said, little more than a whisper.

Rachel didn't seem interested in moderation. When the second arrow emerged from the shade's torso, it began to scream in that horrible, horrible voice. The fire inside its body grew and grew as the darkness burned away, and soon all there was was a tower of flame. Taylor fell back in awe and fear.

And then, the fire extinguished, and Logan fell to the ground. Taylor placed her staff against the ground and pulled herself up from the ground, no longer afraid as Logan gasped, the darkness pouring out of his mouth and forming a mist around his body. Taylor just held her staff aloft, and let the darkness spill out, drawing itself into the gem atop her staff.

And then it was over.

"Taylor, you were amazing!"

Taylor hadn't even heard Rachel approaching, but suddenly Rachel had flung her whole body onto Taylor, and only by sheer luck and Rachel's cooperation did she keep them both from plummeting to the ground.

Rachel started to plant kiss after kiss on Taylor everywhere she could reach - her neck and her jaw and her cheek - and she held on so tightly that Taylor couldn't even turn to hug her back. "Are - you - okay? Did he hurt you?"

Taylor just opted to drop the staff, grab Rachel's hand, and pry it off her. That way, she was able to pivot and pull Rachel into the tightest hug of her life. "No, no, no, I'm all right. What are you doing here?"

Rachel didn't reply until their hug broke, and she started to stab pokes into Taylor's chest. "I was saving your ass, genius! And I was damn good at it, too!"

Taylor grinned, and pulled her into another hug. "You're a witch!" she exclaimed.

"I'm a witch!"

And for once, things were so weird that they both got to laugh about it.

When the hug ended, Taylor still left her hands on Rachel's shoulders. "And you called me your girlfriend!"

Rachel's eyes went wide. "Aaahh, I did! I'm sorry, I got really caught up in the rescue and-"

"No, no, no-" Taylor wrapped her hands around the back of Rachel's neck and pulled her into a kiss. She had absolutely never had a high like this moment, and every single touch felt weightless, easy, and electric. When their kiss broke, Taylor finished, "Please let me be your girlfriend."

Rachel's face was bright, shining like the light she conjured. Her eyes were wide and filled with the same wonder that suffused Taylor's whole body.

Rachel nodded, and didn't stop nodding. "Okay, yeah." More nodding. "I wanna date you."

"Same."

Another kiss - this one interrupted by a squeal that gradually grew in Rachel until she just had to let it out.

"I JUST FUCKIN' KILLED A DEMON, DID YOU SEE THAT!?"

They let each other go just long enough to lace their fingers together. Taylor let herself get just as loud. "I DID! YOU'RE A BADASS!"

"I'm so excited, oh my god. Just - just, make out with me. Holy shit everything is-"

They kissed until their witch costumes faded away and they had real clothes again, and once their hearts had settled down a little.

Rachel asked, "So we just have to do that like, like a bunch more times?"

Taylor nodded, still refusing to let go of Rachel's hands (and Rachel didn't seem interested in letting her). "Yeah, basically. We're supposed to get one more person in the team, I think. The Raven said there were two others."

"Okay, okay - cool, cool cool cool." Rachel leaned down, slipping her arms around Taylor's waist and pulling herself against her chest. "Oh, god, that was scary. When I saw that he had you I-"

"You saved me. You're a rock star, seriously."

 _"God, I love you."_

Taylor grinned. She was starting to be able to tell the difference between the sound of someone talking and them thinking.

"Hey," she said, "I love you too."

"You heard-?"

"Yeah. It's okay, it's okay. I'm happy. I get it."

"Okay."

They stood like that, holding each other, for quite some time. The conversation mostly died after the 'I love you', but it was okay - Taylor was so happy she was dizzy, and holding Rachel just drew out the best moment of her life.

But sooner or later, someone had to break it. And that someone was Rachel. "Is he . . . gonna be okay?"

"I . . . think so? Zach was fine."

"Maybe we should . . . get him somewhere safe?"

"How?"

Rachel shrugged, finally breaking the two of them apart. "I guess . . . I guess we'll need a ride." She blinked. "I'll give Chloe a call, and we'll get you home."

Taylor smiled. She wished the moment never had to end, but one fight didn't end everything. Or anything. It just kept them going.

"Okay."

* * *

Chloe hadn't brought up anything strange about the situation as they'd all worked together to load Logan into the bucket of bolts she called a pickup truck. In fact, she was pretty short on conversation until they were scrunched up in the cab, Rachel without a seatbelt as she wedged between Taylor and Chloe. It wasn't until they drove past Blackwell that Taylor thought it might be a good idea to figure out what was going on.

"Um, Chloe, right?"

"Mhm."

"Hey, so. Where are we going?"

Chloe leaned comfortably against her window as she drove, as if she did this sort of thing all the time. Her eyes flicked over to Taylor for just a second. "The beach, I guess. Kids from Blackwell show up there passed out more than you might think. And there's no way I'm trying to explain this to David right now."

"Oh."

Back to quiet in the car. Taylor had been anticipating either the most confusing explanation of her life or stubborn denial and deal-making, but she hadn't expected to just pretend that nothing was happening.

After a moment, Chloe said, "So, you're Taylor, right?"

"Um, yeah."

"One of Victoria's friends, right?"

Taylor shrugged. "I mean, yeah."

 _"You don't have to say it like that,"_ Rachel's mind grumbled.

"I heard she got some photo award because Max didn't show up, right?"

Taylor winced. "Yes, technically.

Chloe nodded. "Cool. I know photography is a big deal for her - she'd never shut up about it."

Taylor was rapidly getting confused by the conversation. When Chloe brought up something good in Victoria's life (ex. Everyday Heroes) it sounded mean, but when she brought up something negative (ex. Victoria talking too much), she came off as genuinely interested in her life. Did Victoria and Chloe actually know each other? And if they did, why didn't Taylor know that they did?

Taylor swiped hair behind her ear. Rachel noticed and smirked, leaning against Taylor's shoulder.

"I hope Max isn't too disappointed she didn't get to go. I know her photography is really important to her."

Chloe chuckled. "Yeah, no, she'll live. The two of them, though . . . huh."

Rachel peered over at Chloe. "What is it?"

As they pulled into one of the beach parking lots, Chloe said, "They should just bone already. It's got to be insufferable for Jefferson to teach when they're so competitive."

"Um, gross? Illegal?" Rachel high-talked, sitting back upright as they parked.

* * *

As they were dumping Logan out on the sand, Chloe said between strained breaths: "So - are you two - like - an item?"

 _Rachel hasn't said anything?_

They dropped Logan's body like a mattress, then looked around at each other. There was a general aura of, 'this is very criminal, and the less we talk about it, the better.'

Rachel looked at Taylor for a second, then back at Chloe. Just the same as she had in gym. Only this time, "Yeah. Like, literally fifteen minutes ago, actually."

Chloe snorted, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Well, you know what I say. Nothing to bring girls closer together than killing a man."

Taylor stuffed her hands inside her jacket and in her armpits, hoping to keep the smallest portion of warmth to herself. "Um, he's not dead."

Chloe quirked her eyebrows, and asked, "Logan?" Then she kicked Logan's side experimentally. "Shame."

* * *

As they arrived at Blackwell, Rachel was back to laying on Taylor's shoulder (!) and starting to look very sleepy. However, once she recognized where they were, she said, "Babe?"

"Hm?" Taylor and Chloe hummed in unison. Taylor did her best to hide her embarrassed smile, staring out the passenger-side window.

"I know I said I was going to come over, but I think I want to stay close to Blackwell tonight."

Chloe's eyes darted between Rachel and Taylor for a second before she shrugged and said, "Sure."

Unfortunately, there was someone to greet them in the parking lot. As they pulled up next to the curb that would lead them up to the school, David Madsen, the school's head of security, came down the steps. Chloe didn't seem that troubled, although she did roll her eyes when she parked.

Taylor unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. She wasn't really sure what the consequences for being out late were, but at least she wasn't drunk.

"Beep beep. Late night delivery," Chloe called as David approached.

Initially, David looked pissed. But once he noticed Rachel getting out of the car after Taylor, he just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever," he said. "Just get to your rooms, okay?"

Rachel grabbed Taylor's hand with her left and gave a two-fingered salute with her right. "Can do."

As the two of them basically jogged hand-in-hand into the school courtyard, Rachel started to laugh once they reached the school fountain. She twisted around and grabbed Taylor's other hand, tugging it around as she gesticulated excitedly. "We are going to own this school!"

The feelings were kicking in immediately now that they were alone again. "Oh? Does the school have a new power couple?"

"Super-power couple, maybe."

Rachel pulled Taylor's hands down to her hips, standing on her toes to lean into a kiss. The sound of the fountain was all there was for a second until Taylor's gripped tightened and she pulled Rachel closer, prompting a soft moan.

Which completely short-circuited Taylor's brain.

Once they broke apart, all Taylor could say (or think) was, "I really like doing that."

Rachel, delighted, began to walk her fingers up Taylor's arm to her shoulder. "Oh yeah? Well we don't have to stop anytime soon."

There was a new smoothness in Rachel's tone that made Taylor shiver excitedly, but it also prompted questions. "What - what do you mean?"

Once Rachel's fingers reached the top of Taylor's neck, they gently began to slide down her neck, over her throat. "I mean . . . well, you could sleep in my room, if you wanted to."

The fuses in Taylor's brain went from just malfunctioning to shooting sparks and potentially starting very dangerous fires.

"Um, like, to . . . sleep? Or . . ."

"That's up to you."

"Hhhhh," was the only sound Taylor could produce in response, clearly freezing. A proposition for sex was absolutely not something she had been mentally or otherwise preparing for. Nothing had ever prepared her for the possibility of physical chemistry with somebody she really liked. She hadn't even thought she'd like kissing as much as she did, and she thought about kissing a lot.

Rachel's expression sank from seductive to nervous. "Or - or not, like, don't let me pressure you, I'd super just like to-"

"No, no, that's something we should talk about."

Rachel quirked her eyebrows, obviously stuck in a state of anomie.

Taylor took Rachel's hand and continued their walk towards the dorms.

"So. Shit, I should have brought this up earlier, but, uh, I'm not . . . super interested in the sexual part of a relationship."

Rachel tilted her head. Her thumb worked comforting circles into Taylor's palm, which helped with the 'don't totally shut down and blow everything' thing she was trying to do.

"I'm ace," Taylor said, only making quick side-eyes at Rachel to watch her reaction.

"Oh . . ." Rachel said, looking ahead now. Her face pinched as she thought. ". . . okay. Hm."

Taylor should have expected as much, but these seconds of hesitation still made her want to be invisible. Rachel held her too tightly for that, and for that she was grateful.

"So," Rachel said, "I'm just gonna be real with you - I really like sex, and it's important to me. But I also like you." She looked up at Taylor now with a smile, while Taylor's lungs struggled to continue to breathe.

"I like you too," Taylor replied. She had to force her smile, even if that was a genuinely good thing to hear.

That broadened Rachel's smile, and she nodded. "Good. So we'll work something out. Together."

Taylor was flushed red as they entered the dorm courtyard. Rachel looked like she was in much the same state, her mouth crushed into a flat line as she tried to hold back an awkward grin.

"Because we're together," Rachel tacked on, like the most awkward fuck on the planet.

"Mhm," Taylor replied, trying just as hard not to grin.

That basically immediately failed once Rachel held up their linked hands and yelled at the dorms: "TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN'S MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Ssshh shh shh!" Taylor tried to bring her mouth over Rachel's face, but she wasn't having any of it - once she was done yelling, she just started to cackle at an inappropriate volume. "Stop - stop it, you'll embarrass me!"

Rachel broke their hand hold to make as big a 'whatever, man' pose as possible on the steps of the dorm. "Yeah? And I can do that now, because you're my _girlfriend_."

"Stop."

"Make me."

Taylor smiled, settling down a little. "Okay." She started to raise a hand to tuck her hair behind her hair again (that infernal tic!), but Rachel beat her to it, reaching out to brush it back and stroke her cheek at the same time.

Taylor took a hesitant step forward and kissed Rachel one more time.

Before they entered the dorms, Taylor leaned her forehead against Rachel's (they were almost the same height if Rachel stood on one of the dorm steps), taking a deep breath. "I think . . . I think I want to sleep by myself tonight," she said. "But . . . maybe this weekend . . . we could have a movie night in our pajamas or something? And then, maybe . . ."

Rachel closed her eyes and smiled. "I'd like that."

"Cool."

They stood like that for a moment, foreheads touching, eyes closed, basking in the orange light of the courtyard and the excitement of a new relationship. It was more than Taylor had ever imagined, and it was only just beginning.

"Come on," Rachel said, lifting her forehead away and planting a kiss on Taylor's. "It's bed time."

Taylor nodded. She didn't want the night to end, but she also couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. "Yeah . . . and I should probably tell Dana and Juliet I'm okay."

"Yes, you should," Rachel replied as she dragged Taylor inside.

They said good night once, came to the shower room to brush their teeth at the same time, messed around, kissed some more with the overwhelming taste of mint, and said good night again. When Taylor went to bed that night, she thought not at all about the things she'd found on Nathan's phone, even when she sent Dana a few text messages to say everything had worked out fine (the guy ran off when the police showed up, after all. She just got a ride home). She fell asleep dazed by the light in her life now.

* * *

 **End of Arc 1: Light and Dark**


	7. Intermission: The Oracle

The silence was the first thing that told Taylor that she was not awaking in her bed. The school dorms were, at best, quiet, but she had only heard this silence once before, and the thought of it made her skin crawl. So when she found herself somewhere she could not be, fully dressed in the daylight, it was nothing less than what she had expected.

She stood atop a grassy hill, along what appeared to be a break in a hiking trail. A large statue stood in front of her on a pedestal, with several signs providing information she couldn't make out, couldn't bring into focus. There were trees along the path beside her, but even though their branches swayed in the breeze, she could hear nothing. The world felt almost empty, but she knew it wasn't.

Taylor turned, finding a fenced ridge with viewfinders lining it, as well as a small boulder at the furthest corner, where countless dads insisting on enjoying the view and breathing the clean air of nature must have stood, much to the annoyance of their children. Rachel stood leaning against one of the viewfinders, smoking a cigarette and looking down into the valley. Or at least, it certainly looked like Rachel - the torn plaid, the skinny jeans, the long, golden hair. Maybe, now that she was a witch, Rachel would be a part of her dreams. She hoped so.

Taylor approached Rachel quietly, as every move was uncomfortably loud in this place. Rachel did not react, even when she was finally standing beside her. Taylor followed her eyes down into the valley, hoping for some clarification.

There, along a thin stream that snaked its way through the valley as if to cut it in half, a large oak tree stood burning. The fire was big enough that it should be spreading, it should be scary, but although they just stood and watched, the tree alone burned, its corpse wilted black underneath the flames.

Rachel exhaled slowly, smoke curling out from between her lips like a dragon's maw. As she lowered her cigarette, she said, "Welcome to Culmination State Park."

"Rachel?" Taylor whispered, "i-is that you?"

Rachel smiled, raising the cigarette to her lips again. "Sorry," she said before taking another drag. "This-" she waved a hand over her torso, "-is more of a symbolic gesture, I'm afraid. To congratulate you."

The voice wasn't quite Rachel's - its cadence rose and fell steadily, slipping into the Raven's voice every time it fell. _Of course_. Taylor rubbed at her arms for her warmth, suddenly feeling much more alone.

"Congratulate me for what?"

Finally, Rachel - the Raven - turned to look at Taylor, glancing up and down her body in a way with a smirk. "For finding your Oracle. And for saving that boy - or yourself, as the case might be. Either way, you did well."

Taylor nodded slowly, confused, and then: "Oh! Right, 'the oracle born in moonlight' or whatever. I mean, you - God, she - found me first. _And_ she's the one who took down Logan slash the demon guy, so I didn't . . . really do anything?"

This, too, seemed to amuse the Raven. Taylor wondered if they had been this smug the whole time, she just couldn't tell because ravens don't have facial expressions.

"Oh, I wouldn't say you did nothing. Perhaps nothing sane, running out to that park all alone, but you're making progress nonetheless."

Taylor started to speak, but the words got caught in her throat. She sighed as she tried to find the right ones.

"So this means . . . I'm not crazy, then?" She asked uncertainly, arms just hugged over her chest now. "Like, it's all real - me being a witch, boys being demons, some god being asleep and also wanting to kill us all?"

"I wouldn't say that, quite," the Raven said, their voice distorting even more, "but there are worse things to be. But these things are real; Rachel would tell you so, if you asked."

"Ha . . . yeah, I guess we can't both be crazy, right?" Taylor replied. She hadn't ever considered that Rachel might be crazy, too, until just now, but she tried her best to suppress the paranoia.

Taylor cleared her throat, hoping to skip right over that rabbit hole. "So, there's one more witch, right? The Warrior of . . . Storms?" Taylor shrugged.

"Storm and Skies." The Raven reached up, tucking hair behind their ear as they thought. Finally, the smugness seemed to fade, replaced with worry. "I fear what will happen if you do not find her soon. She is close to one of them, these 'shades', and she is in grave danger. She has no idea what she is, or what fate awaits her."

Taylor breathed out slowly, followed by a, "Shit." She rubbed her arms for a second, then asked, "So, how do I find her? Rachel and I can keep her safe, we just have to know who she is."

The Raven nodded, now pensive. After a moment, they said, "Perhaps it is best to find the shade first. He will lead you to your warrior and, if pressed, she may reveal herself on her own."

That caught Taylor off guard. It was clever, definitely, a two-birds-one-stone approach, but it also meant treating someone like bait. The Raven seemed awfully comfortable putting people in harm's way - Taylor could not forget what she had been asked to do. To let the storm come. To stall. People getting hurt was not just a possibility, but a goal.  
But if she _didn't_ find this girl and wait to intervene . . . what would happen to her? Or to Arcadia Bay?

Taylor nodded, finally, and said quietly, "How do I find it?"

"He hunts you even now as you sleep. He knows who you are, but not _what_ you are. He will give himself away sooner or later. You will have to keep yourself safe if you are to keep your Oracle and Warrior safe as well."

Taylor shivered with dread. _Warren_. The door to her room was locked, sure, but would that really stop one of these things if it wanted to get to her? Was a lock all that was keeping her safe?

Then Taylor remembered: "Oh! I actually had a question for you."

The Raven quirked their eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Rachel said she had a vision of Arcadia Bay burning, she never had a vision about the storm. Why?"

The Raven inspected their cigarette for a second, then flicked it away. Even if it was just a dream, Taylor felt a twinge of guilt about the litter.

"The force that guides her is not the same that guides you, child. You are born in darkness and she in light; as much as you are partners, you are also opposites. Complements. You foresaw the city cleansed, but Rachel saw it die. That grim world is what awaits us all if you fail."

"What-" Taylor started, but again paused to find the right words. "Like, if Rachel and I are opposites, what about this third witch? How does she . . . fit in?" She was trying to find a way to not make them sound like a clique, but she didn't exactly get how any of this was supposed to work.

The Raven shrugged, but immediately answered, "She is not bound to you by fate, but by circumstance and need. Just as she needs your help now, so too will you need hers - only she can conjure the storm. Just as with you and Rachel, she exists at an extreme, opposed by someone who guides the Maiden." The Raven smirked, and added, "Though, 'guide' is something of a euphemism, I suppose. They may guide her through the storms to come, or they may guide her to her death. The Guardian of Time is unpredictable by their nature."

"S-so . . ." Taylor paused. "Are they, like, my enemy? Or like, a friend?"

The Raven chuckled, but it died quickly, and their smile was replaced with strain. "Perhaps both?"

Taylor swallowed, her discomfort rising again. "And what are you, then?"

The Raven just blinked for a moment, as if they couldn't believe the question. When they spoke again, the distortion was gone - a woman's voice, lower than Rachel's came through clear. "Surely you don't believe you're the first to bear the burden of the God's darkness, do you?"

Taylor mulls that over for a moment. First, _does that mean the Raven is a witch_? Second, _are my powers coming from the thing I'm supposed to be fighting_?

Before she got a chance to clarify, though, the Raven looked away from Taylor, back down at the burning tree. "Just as the Oracle of the moon banishes the shadows, you feed on them. This timeline likely only has a chance because you awoke so early. Or perhaps that is why it is doomed. We shall see."

 _Um, what?_ "This timeline? What does that mean?"

Much like in her first vision, the sky suddenly darkened faster than it ever could in reality. Only this time, it was not dense stormclouds that formed in the sky, but the moon. And after it, a second one winked into existence.

The Raven gestured up at the sky.

"The two moons have come before, child. Again and again he awakes, but He has never been killed, only sealed. And you - well, others like you - have never been so powerful before. I'm afraid that more will be required of you than those who have come before."

"Those who - what? Who came before?" Taylor shrugged, then offered her gestured at the Raven. "You? What are you talking about? This isn't like a 'once in every generation' sort of thing, is it?"

The Raven chuckled. "More than once, I'm afraid." Distortion was returning to their voice, but Rachel's was nowhere in it.

They seemed to notice it, too. "Out of time. The rest of this conversation will have to wait."

"Wait!" Taylor exclaimed. She still had so many questions. But maybe there was one more she could fit in. "How can I contact you again when I need to? How do I come back here?"

Now even Rachel's body seemed to waver as they talked. Taylor could feel this world narrowing - she knew there were only seconds left. "Once the coven is formed once more, I will reveal myself. Be patient. Find the warrior. And good luck."

This time, Taylor snapped up from her dream with a gasp, panting and grasping her blankets. Leaving her vision felt like falling, and she just needed something to hold on to.


	8. Episode 6: Allies

It took Taylor a few minutes to calm her breathing after she woke up, leaning against the wall as the feeling of the dream world faded away. The cold, pale light of her window told her it was not long after dawn, but she already knew she wasn't getting back to sleep.

Unlike her regular dreams, Taylor's visits with the Raven in her dreams didn't vanish as she woke up, leaving her dazed at the change in time and the return of sounds to drown out her own heartbeat. That world gave her no choice of what to feel and what to focus on, but this one felt so busy, no matter how early and quiet it might be.

Taylor grabbed her phone, noting that it was barely after 6:00. It was at least not so early that she'd feel weird texting Rachel about her meeting with the Raven.

 **Taylor:** hey rachel, I had another vision  
 **Taylor:** it looks like the next witch is close with one of the shades, and the raven suggested we just let them lead us to the next witch

To Taylor's surprise, Rachel started responding immediately.

 **Rachel:** i could use some coffee if this is how the days starting  
 **Rachel:** wanna come with in like 15?

 **Taylor:** sure  
 **Taylor:** all our dates can be about demon slaying

 **Rachel:** super power couple, im telling u

Taylor climbed out of bed, dropping into her chair and booting up her laptop. She grabbed a brush from beside her desk mirror and started taking out the knots in her hair while a dozen applications launched. When she checked her e-mail, she was surprised to find an e-mail from Juliet with the subject line "Follow-up". Clicking on it, she found an absolute wall of text. Attached to the bottom of the wall was an additional document labeled "Notes from 10/16".

Taylor checked the document first. Sure enough, it was a near-transcription of her phone call to Juliet last night, plus comments added to define or clarify things. Scrolling through it, Taylor remembered what a wild time looking through Nathan's phone had been, he's such a-

 _God. Shit_. Taylor picked up her pants from last night and discovered Nathan's phone in the back pocket. It was dead, predictably, but not being able to look through it more wasn't really the problem. Whether Nathan remembered what she'd done or not, chances were good he knew his phone was missing. Unsure what else to do with it for now, she stuffed it back in her pants.

Once she was dressed, Taylor looked at the doc Juliet had sent her one more time before closing it. A bolded line in the body of the e-mail stuck out to her, though: " **It looks like you were drugged with GHB.** Plus, Nathan's the only one who sells it. Whoever drugged you must have gotten it from him." 'GHB' was also hyperlinked, probably to some page that supported Juliet's conclusion.

The implications of that conclusion alone were too much for her to deal with right now. Taylor closed her laptop and hurried out the door.

* * *

Taylor decided to pick up Courtney and Victoria's orders too, like Victoria does when she wakes up early or Courtney does when the others are hung over. Once Rachel and Taylor were back on the bus and Rachel finally had a sip of her coffee, they let the conversation turn to being demon-fighting witches.

"So, last night," Rachel began.

Last night had been a bit busy. "Which part?" Taylor asked. Rachel's tone immediately shot her mind into _'Oh god what if she says getting together was a huge mistake and we should just forget it,'_ mode.

Rachel sensed the awkwardness and replied, "Uh, the demon bit."

Taylor said, "Oh, that," visibly relieved.

Rachel was amused by that response, "Oh yeah, just that hiccup. What do you know about them, anyway?"

 _That's such an easier conversation than talking about our relationship._

"Oh! So they-" Taylor quickly cut off though because Rachel snorted, covering her mouth in fear of sputtering out coffee.

Taylor had no idea what that was about, so she said, "What?"

Rachel just shook her head. "No, no, please continue."

 _"Poor girl had a heart attack."_

Taylor pouted. "I did not."

Thanks to that completely incoherent response, Rachel just gave her a smirk and said, "Uh huh."

 _"Babe you're reading my thoughts again."_

Somehow Taylor had missed that. "Oh, shit."

 _This is so hard to get used to._

"Same here." Rachel took another sip of her coffee.

Taylor blinked, trying to separate what was in her head and what was out loud. Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion, leaning closer to Rachel. _Are you reading_ my _mind?_

 _"I mean, I think if it works both ways it's just called telepathy, but it looks that way."_

 _That's . . ._

 _"Spooky."_

 _Yeah._

 _"Kind of neat though?"_ Rachel quirked an eyebrow.

 _Useful, at least. Considering a good chunk of what we talk about nowadays would sound fucking nuts to anyone. I'm pretty sure that old lady is ready to call 911 from the amount of silent eye contact we're making._

Rachel glanced down the bus and laughed, scooting back from Taylor a little. She pulled her leg up onto her seat and snatched up Taylor's hand. _"Okay. So, my telepathic friend, what were you saying?"_

Taylor took a second to rub the back of Rachel's hand while she got her thoughts back to the shades.

 _Right, yeah, okay. So these demons slash shades. From the conversation I had with demon-Logan last night, it looks like they have all of the memories and a lot of the feelings that the boys had before being demons - like Logan was pissed at me for keeping Dana away from him. Actually, Zach was acting pretty similarly - he was angry that Juliet wouldn't talk to him since she found out he'd been sexting Victoria. Like he was being treated unfairly. But there's also clearly some stuff the boys remember once I've exorcised them, and some stuff they don't._

 _"So, what, these demons are making boys get really pissed that someone broke up with them?"_

Taylor shook her head. _No, I think they really are pissed about it. I think they might even want to hurt someone. Maybe like a wish that they wouldn't otherwise act on._

 _"So, a curse then? A violently misogynistic curse?"_

 _Maybe? It's like those boys who get rejected and turn really scary and violent? You know the kind I mean?_

Rachel's thoughts went quiet for a moment, although Taylor could see in her eyes that she was thinking back on something. After a moment, Rachel nodded.

 _"Yeah, I've definitely met those boys."_

Neither of them had much to say on that, so Taylor just squeezed Rachel's hand. Rachel started to drum her fingers against Taylor's palm, anxious.

"There's still Warren," Rachel said, "And you said he's close to the person we're looking for?"

Taylor nodded. She didn't think that was exactly what she heard, but it was the same conclusion she'd come to.

 _Yeah. The Raven said the last witch was in danger. But they also recommended just trying to tail the shade until we knew who it was._

Rachel looked down at her hands while she thought. She wrapped both of them around Taylor's hand and began to knead her palm, barely noticing what she was doing.

 _"If these shades are showing up as curses against people who've wronged whoever they're possessing, that . . . doesn't really narrow things down a lot with Warren. People are not very nice to that kid. At least not other students."_

 _That . . . sucks. But I think the criteria might be simpler. I think it might just be rejection. Like a few minutes before I saw Warren get possessed, he and Brooke were talking. She was upset with him for talking about Max too much when they were together and not being like, attentive. Like what she was saying was that he was being rude, but the subtext seemed very pseudo-romantic. Brooke is definitely the person closest to Warren anyhow._

"Hmm," Rachel hummed. _"That also sounds like that could be Max, though. She's clearly on his mind a lot and also clearly not into him that way. The talk with Brooke could have happened_ after _a rejection from Max, maybe."_

Rachel actually looked relieved at this thought (Taylor very much did not feel relieved connecting the common feelings of teenage boys to homicide and assault, but they seemed to be taking this to different places).

"I'll talk to Max, make sure she's on the lookout for anything weird. At least with her, I know she'll listen to me, even if she doesn't think Warren's dangerous."

"I think that'd be good," Taylor replied.

 _"I have to say I kind of dig the idea of Max with super powers. She's always wanted to be a super hero. It's cute."_ She paused. _"Chloe might feel left out, though."_

"It'll be okay," Taylor replied. "Max'll keep an eye out, you'll keep an eye out, I'll keep an eye out. We'll get him before he gets the chance to hurt anybody." She continued, _Plus, I feel like Chloe's the sort of person who would dig being the normie sidekick to superpowered best friends. You know, a Xander type._

Rachel snorted. _"You seriously overestimate Chloe's ability to be anything less than the most interesting person in the room."_

* * *

Rachel and Taylor split up once they reached the dorms - Rachel head back to her room while Taylor passed coffee off to a sleepy Courtney and made her way to Victoria's room. She knocked but didn't wait for a response, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Victoria didn't pick up on this, what with her face buried in her pillow and headphones in her ears.

Taylor pulled Victoria's coffee from the tray and sat it down on her desk, then grabbed hers and sat down in Victoria's computer chair. She scoot it close to Victoria's bed and shook her a little, which finally did the trick.

"Taylor?" Victoria asked groggily. "What? . . . what time is it?"

"It is . . ." Taylor checked her phone. "7:30. Time to get up."

Victoria moaned her incoherent complaints for a few seconds, but pulled her legs up and sat up. She blinked a few times in an effort to get her eyes to focus, just now noticing the coffee. She pointed to the one closest to her and Taylor nodded.

"You got me coffee?" Victoria asked, smoothing her hair back off of her forehead and grabbing the cup from her desk.

"I did. I figured you could use it after a night of hanging out with Nathan."

"Hmm," Victoria hummed, sitting back against the wall. "We didn't really hang out that much. He got kind of grumpy so I just. . . went to bed."

 _Yeah, he would be kind of grumpy._

Rachel's voice appeared way too clearly, _"Who?"_

Taylor jumped, drawing a confused look from Victoria. As she regained her composure, she thought, _It's nothing. I'm just talking with Victoria._

 _"Oh, okay."_

"Did he say why he was upset?" Taylor asked, tucking her hair back.

Victoria shook her head.

"Uh . . ." Taylor hesitated as she reached into her pocket. Victoria sensed she was trying to say something though.

 _"Why is she acting so weird?"_ Victoria wondered.

That did it for Taylor - Victoria was going to realize something was wrong before long anyhow. Hiding it wasn't going to work.

"I think I know why he was upset, then," Taylor said. Victoria tilted her head curiously as Taylor reached into her pocket, pulling out the phone. "I kinda . . . stole his phone last night."

Victoria sat dumbfounded for a long time, looking between the phone and Taylor. Then she demanded, "What the hell? Why?" She did a small double-take as she inspected the phone again. "That's not even Nathan's."

Taylor lowered her hands, wrapping her fingers all around the phone. "Yeah it is," Taylor replied, deadpan. "I mean, it's not his regular phone. It's his phone for, uh, dealing."

Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. Their talk had barely started and she was already getting exasperated. "Taylor, what the fuck?"

Taylor looked down at her hands, rolling the phone over while she thought about the right words. "Remember how I bailed from the party last Thursday, and then I didn't come to morning classes either?"

Victoria looked taken aback at the change, but cautiously let the conversation continue, "I mean, yeah . . ."

"So . . . something kind of happened to me that night."

Taylor wasn't really in the frame of mind to be shaken up by that right now, but she knew that Victoria would be more willing to listen if Taylor looked like she was in pain. Unfortunately, when Taylor looked back up and saw Victoria's face cut still and hard as stone, fear and guilt clawed its way right into her heart. Victoria loved her. Even if she couldn't feel scared for herself, the dread Victoria was already sinking in pulled Taylor along as well.

Very quietly, Victoria asked, "What happened?"

Taylor took a breath slowly. The pause just seemed to make everything worse. She said, "I passed out on my way to the dorms. I . . . was drugged with something called GHB. I was kidnapped. Somebody . . . somebody from school took me, then dumped me back in the dorms in the morning."

Taylor couldn't look away from Victoria's eyes - searching, confused, scared. Why was this all coming on so strong?

"Are you all right? Did they - did they hurt you?"

Taylor's heart raced. She'd wanted to stay calm, not - not _this,_ whatever this was.

"I . . . don't know. They couldn't find any evidence when I went to the hospital, but . . ." Taylor swallowed. "But I knew Nathan dealt, so he might have dealt to whoever dosed me, so I took his phone. And he did. He sells the stuff that they-" Taylor felt panic rising as she talked, and suddenly her throat choked as tears clouded her vision. _Fuck. This isn't how I wanted this to go._

Victoria didn't seem to be in a much better place - she crawled forward on her bed, put her coffee down on the desk, and pulled Taylor down onto the bed with her.

Normally, when Victoria pulled Taylor onto her chest, that was all it took for Taylor to completely break apart and sob. But this time, Taylor just felt relief. She didn't know whether it was being honest with Victoria or just being close to her again after things had been weird between them, but the panic in her cooled.

Victoria kissed the top of Taylor's head, petting her hair.

After a minute, Victoria asked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Taylor would have liked that to be a tough question, but she'd been thinking about it every time she and Victoria were together for the past four days. "I . . . I was scared. I felt like . . . like you wouldn't believe me if it meant Nathan could be involved in something bad. Like you'd say I was being hysterical or . . . or something."

"T . . . of course I believe you. Nathan's not . . . a bad kid, but he does some really stupid shit without thinking about the consequences. I couldn't be his friend if I didn't already get that."

Victoria's heart beat was so fast and so strong. Taylor knew she had to finish this conversation, but that feeling, that knowing that Victoria was just as scared as she was, it filled her heart with love in a way that wanted to blot out the pressing need to figure this out.

It dawned on Taylor that the fear she'd been harboring about Victoria's response wasn't like Victoria at all. It was like her mom, and Courtney, and the cops, but it wasn't like Victoria.

Finally, Taylor continued, "I already checked with the other people who sell drugs at school. Neither of them sell the stuff I was probably dosed with, but Nathan does. I made sure."

Victoria continued to pet Taylor's hair. She said, "You were reckless . . . but you were smart. And brave. I'm proud of you."

Taylor hoped that her face was thoroughly hidden so Victoria couldn't see how she flushed at that kind of praise. She could barely understand how intense the shifts between terrifying and amazing had been these past few days of her life.

"I'll talk to Nathan," Victoria said. "Just . . . just give me the phone. I'll return it, I'll explain. If he gets mad, I'll deal with it. I'm not going to let him get upset with you."

The heavy beat of Victoria's heart, and the trust in her Taylor had in that moment, was more than she could take. Her tears were happy, though.

"I love you, Tori."

"I love you too."

For once, when they said that, they meant the same thing.

* * *

Taylor was barely out the door of her second period class for lunch when she got a text from Dana.

 **Dana:** Hey taylor, if you're free could you come to the drama room?  
 **Dana:** Juliet and I want to check in with you

It was Wednesday at lunch, time Victoria always set aside to spend with Taylor. It would suck to set those plans aside, and talking with Juliet and Dana really didn't seem like something she wanted to deal with right now. But they were helping her - a lot. How could she refuse?

Taylor sent Victoria a message.

 **Taylor:** hey i'm sorry but i'm busy during lunch today. i'll still see you for photography lab if you're free?

* * *

Taylor hadn't been to the drama lab in years. A wave of nostalgia rolled over her as she walked inside, Juliet behind the teacher's desk (her laptop open in front of her) and Dana sitting on top of it, just like they were back in sophomore year. Taylor waved at them (and Dana waved back with a 'hey') and dumped her bag on a chair.

"What's up?" she asked, standing close to the desk as if the three of them were just gossiping during class.

Juliet glanced about as if that were an awkward question. "Umm . . . your phone call ended in like, the most dramatic way possible last night. Are you all right?"

"Oh, yeah. Um. I guess I just got a bit spooked. Ditching campus in the middle of the night was probably not my best idea."

Juliet raised her eyebrows. "You sure?"

Taylor nodded. She didn't like splitting her life into discrete chunks, some honesty allocated to everyone (but not too much), but she had no other way of handling her life right now. She picked at her nails with her teeth.

Dana and Juliet glanced at each other again, but then relaxed. "Okay, cool," Dana said, letting her posture go to shit on the desk. "We just wanted to make sure."

"Oh." _Why is this so goddamn awkward?_ "Okay. Is that . . . it?"

Juliet shook her head and said, "No, no, I just . . . here." Juliet turned her laptop around, showing Taylor the Wikipedia page for GHB.

 _That makes sense. She's been doing a lot of research._

"Oh yeah, I got your e-mail." Taylor reached over the desk and scrolled down the page a little bit, trying to pick out anything useful from the pictures, but it had a little too much jargon for her. "So, this is the stuff?"

"Yeah," Juliet confirmed. "The big thing that separates it from the other stuff Nathan or Stella or Trevor have been buying is that it's an easy-to-use date rape drug. Five grams in a drink or injected intravenously can induce a semi-coma, although it only lasts a few hours. It has interaction effects with alcohol so you could have been dosed with even less, and it clears your system in twelve hours, so . . ."

Taylor nodded. That made sense, at least. She didn't like that it was coming together, but she knew it was a good thing. "So it was out by the time I even woke up . . . and my tests wouldn't have found anything."

"Yeah," Dana replied.

"So," Juliet started, "My working theory is somebody dosed your drink. When all the drinks are pre-poured, somebody could just drop a few grams of it in and then wait for somebody to take it. And . . . if that's the case, we're probably talking about a boy in the Vortex Club. They had to have had access to the drinks. I mean, you didn't drink anything else that night, did you?"

Taylor shook her head. "No, I'm . . . I'm pretty careful about this stuff. I don't set my drinks down or anything . . ." She paused, thinking while she bit her nails. "So this was just random, then? I just drew the short straw?"

Dana shrugged. "That's our best guess."

Taylor wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.

After a quiet moment moment, Dana went on, "I wonder who it even could have been, though. Logan never had the chance, Zach and Hayden were there way after you left, and-"

"Um," Juliet interrupted, loud enough that Dana cut off. "Like, I think it's easier than that, guys."

Dana and Taylor looked at each other, then Juliet, equally confused.

"Wait, what?" Dana asked.

"Think about it," Juliet said as she spun her laptop back around, clicking on some things Taylor couldn't see. "We know Nathan's buying the stuff. We _don't_ know if anyone's buying it from him. We know Nathan was threatening somebody. Here, look, he said, 'Keep your mouth shut or else. I know where you sleep.'"

Taylor already knew where this was going, where it had gone, but hoped that she was wrong. "So, wait, what are you saying?"

Juliet looked uncomfortable having to say it, but at least she wasn't frozen stiff like Dana.

"I'm saying Nathan almost definitely dosed you, and he dosed someone else before you, too. And when they figured out he'd done it, he threatened them to stay quiet - repeatedly. Look."

Juliet turned her laptop around again, this time to a Word document. There was a section she had highlighted, marked **10/8** :

Next time it won't be pig's blood. Feminazis will be exterminated.

And, although it wasn't highlighted, the entry marked **10/10 - 11:30pm** just below it:

What the fuck are you?

Taylor kept her eyes on that entry, playing through the possibilities as Juliet continued to talk.

"I know Nathan wasn't at the End of the World party, but if anyone could have just paid off the bartender or someone to do it, it's him. And, I don't know, maybe he's just covering for someone else with these threats, but like . . . pig's blood?" She mock shivered. "That's so fucked. He's at least a willing participant . . ."

As Juliet finally seemed to pick up on the distant look in Taylor's eyes, she said, "Or, I don't know. Maybe I'm totally off base. Maybe Nathan's just a complete bastard in a whole different way and the drugs are just him making money and not asking any questions. But I think I'm right about this."

Slowly, stiffly, Taylor nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I think you are, too."

And that was some of the worst news Taylor had gotten recently (high bar that might be), but it wasn't what was holding her attention.

What the fuck are you?

Nathan had seen something he couldn't explain. He was scared. Taylor's rape kit hadn't turned up anything - she'd been drugged, she'd been taped up, but she had no evidence that anything else happened. Maybe somebody stopped Nathan before he could do anything. Maybe he hadn't been the one to dump her back in the dorms at all.

Taylor got the feeling that if she could just find the recipient for these texts, she would have found her next witch, or maybe even the Guardian of Time that the Raven had mentioned. Whoever they were, Taylor was convinced they were an ally, and she needed to find them.

* * *

"How are you doing?"

Dana's question brought Taylor back into reality. They were sequestered in the alley between the pool and the main school building that students and security alike went to to smoke. The habitual rhythm of smoking had helped Taylor feel in her body again after spending most of the lunch period dissociating.

Taylor pondered that for a moment. Introspection wasn't really picking anything up (she just felt empty inside), so she took her best guess based on the situation.

"I'm a little overwhelmed, to be honest."

Dana snorted, rolling her eyes while Taylor took another drag of her cigarette.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dana replied. She paused, then said, "How have things been . . . other than this? How are things with Rachel?"

That got a smile out of Taylor. "Really good, actually," she said before putting the cigarette in her mouth. Dana looked at her expectantly as she exhaled, and Taylor realized with a laugh that they were veering into gossip. Which was good, because gossip had basically been the sole foundation of their relationship prior to Taylor being a massive douche.

"Hmm," Taylor hummed, trying to think of the juiciest bits. "So we kissed like, a _lot_ last night. Like last night easily . . . doubled the amount of kissing I've done in my life." That was actually false - Taylor had made out with someone precisely one time and for no longer than 3 minutes, so last night had been more like 10 times that. But that just sounded excessive.

Dana looked _elated_. "Oh my god - what happened? When did this even happen?"

The sheer possibility of having a girl friend who was so excited about this brought her own excitement back.

"Uh, like, right after you and Juliet left the locker room, for one."

The scandal and delight on Dana's face made Taylor laugh, but she continued, "And, um. She's the one who came and got me last night after I hung up. So we kissed a bunch then . . . and when we got back to school, we kind of made out in the quad for a while and . . ." the memory of Rachel holding her and moaning made it hard to keep talking (or thinking, or breathing).

Taylor was sure she'd chicken out about the rest, but Dana goaded her, "And?!"

Taylor flushed, but she knew she couldn't stop - who else could she possibly tell? "And, she, uh. Asked me if I wanted to have sex?"

"Aaahhhhh!" Dana screamed while Taylor did her best to shush her, but quickly gave up to laugh.

Taylor hid her face behind her hand in shame and said, "I mean, I said no, but like . . . that was, like, a lot."

"Uh, _yeah_." Dana got a short-lived, scheming grin before cutting to - "Wait, you guys weren't even sure if you were dating yesterday, and now . . .?"

"And we're totally dating," Taylor replied with a grin.

"Damn, girl. I'm proud of you."

Dana raised a hand and the two of them high-fived. Dana's energy was infectious.

"Thank you, thank you. How are things with you and Trevor?"

To Taylor's surprise, Dana's excitement took a steep dive. She shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Oh, you know. We hang out, we do drugs, we have sex. It's, you know, it's good."

Taylor made an even bigger shrug and said, "I mean I super don't know, but that sounds nice?" There was hesitation in her voice to match the hesitation on Dana's face. She continued, "It is nice, isn't it?"

Dana nodded emphatically. "Yeah, no, Trevor is great. He's super sweet and kind of doofy, but not like, in a bad way?" _Beat._ "This thing with you and Rachel is just so exciting, you know? I'm happy for both of you."

Taylor was getting an inkling that something more was going on here. "Yeah, totally. I literally never thought this was like, an option."

"I get what you mean," Dana replied.

Taylor mocked offense, but Dana just waved it off, "No, no, not like that. Like, Rachel's so cool I wanna be gay sometimes."

 _Holy shit._

Taylor's eyes opened wide as she finished off her cigarette, trying to think of a response to that.

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

Dana rolled her eyes, leaning back against the pool building wall while Taylor crushed her cigarette butt underfoot. "Like, sometimes I'm kind of jealous of bi girls, because they get to like girls _and_ guys. And girls are just so pretty and nice and they compliment you on stuff boys never even notice. Like if I liked girls, I think Rachel might be my type, you know?"

 _Oh I know . . . because I'm gay._

Taylor hoped that nothing running through her mind was running across her face (it was). She wanted to give that little nudge, that reminder that straight girls don't typically think that way about other girls, that having a type and specific crushes is just sort of what being gay is like. But Taylor had tried that so many times with Victoria, and she knew it wasn't going to get her anywhere. It's not like Taylor knew what it was like to be bi.

Still, Taylor silently filed this new information away.

* * *

Once classes were over and people were back at the dorms, Taylor decided it was time to take a direct approach to finding her new witch. She'd never intended to proselytize before, but as soon as she started knocking on dorm doors, that was exactly what she felt like she was doing.

After about a solid minute of knocking, Max didn't come to the door, so Taylor moved on to Alyssa's room. She, at least, was quick to open the door.

"Yeah?" Alyssa asked, immediately suspicious.

 _That's fair._

Taylor put on her best cheerful smile, and then remembered that she wasn't trying to sell something, she was trying to ask people about something frightening. The smile turned into a grimace as Taylor said, "Uh, hey Alyssa. I've got kind of a weird question but it's also like, really important."

Alyssa just blinked, slow to respond. Then she said, "Okay, sure, what's up?

"Um," Taylor started. She leaned closer and said in her soft, flat voice, "Have you gotten any . . . threatening text messages lately? Especially any from an unknown number calling you a feminazi, maybe?"

"Uh, no." Alyssa showed exaggerated disgust. "Why, is some 4chan board spamming people's phones?"

"No, it's . . ." Taylor slowed, then shut up all together. "It's not that," she finished.

Alyssa shrugged, "Okay."

"Yep, thanks. Take care."

"Sure, whatever."

Next was Kate Marsh. They'd never actually talked after the first week of school this year, thanks to how quickly she drew Victoria's ire for becoming Jefferson's assistant. She couldn't quite put her finger on what personally annoyed her about Kate so much, but she knew Kate got on her nerves before Victoria started to complain about her.

Kate opened the door the second time Taylor knocked, but she didn't open it all the way - she remained hidden behind most of it with her head peaking out until she recognized Taylor, then opened the door all the way.

"Hi Taylor," Kate said with a tiny wave. She looked . . . worse than normal. Classes had ended barely an hour ago but she was already in a dingy t-shirt and sweats like she had no intention of going outside again. Her bedroom didn't seem to be in much of a better state - the lights were off and the blinds were drawn. The only thing that told Taylor that Kate wasn't just sleeping until tomorrow morning was that she still had her eye makeup on.

Taylor snapped out of her inspection and said, "Ah, yeah, hi Kate. I just wanted to ask you something if that's okay."

Kate's hand wasn't leaving the door knob. She nodded, "Yeah, what's up?"

Taylor sighed, hesitating. She felt like Kate would take this question a lot differently than other people. "Have you gotten any threatening texts from an unknown number recently? Like the past week or month?"

Kate's eyes went wide, and she glanced down towards the floor for the briefest second as she thought.

Then she looked up and said, "Uh, n-no, nothing like that." She paused for a second and her brow furrowed. "Why?, did you get messages like that?"

That was a reasonable question to ask, but Taylor was unprepared for it. "Uh . . . no . . ." she said, stalling for an excuse. "I just . . . a friend did. Stuff like 'I know where you sleep' and calling her a 'Feminazi.'"

Now Kate was just concerned. "Oh, that's really scary, I'm sorry." She paused again, but before Taylor could work out a way to dismiss herself, Kate said, "If your friend needs help or anything, I could try and help."

 _Typical._ Taylor knew she did work for charity but she hadn't known Kate was so charitable. A childhood as a Mormon sort of highlighted there being a distinction, but maybe Kate was just _like_ that.

Still, Kate didn't look like she was in any condition to be helping somebody, nevermind with something like this.

Taylor shook her head. "Nah, it's okay, we'll handle it. Could you just do me like, a small favor?"

Kate finally took her hand off the door knob and relaxed a little - although she still wrapped her arms around her body as if she were cold.

"Shoot," she said.

Taylor said, "Well, like, if you hear anything from a friend that something like that happened to them, would you please let me know? I know my friend wasn't the only one, and I want to make sure anyone else getting . . . harassed . . . is okay."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, totally, of course." She paused, but Taylor was getting used to giving her a few seconds to say what she wanted to say.

Kate said, "It's good, the thing you're doing. Looking after . . . your friend, and making sure other people are okay." Kate looked Taylor in the eye and said, more confident than normal, "It's good for girls to look out for other girls."

It was intended as a compliment, but as Taylor put on her abashed smile she felt the sting of shame. "Yeah, you're right," Taylor said.

After an awkward moment, Kate said, "Okay, then, see you," and backed up into her room.

"Yeah, see you," Taylor said, turning to go. But the shame was growing in her quick, and for once she listened to it.

"Wait," Taylor said, pivoting back.

Kate looked at her through a sliver of open door, then opened it again. "Yeah?"

"Kate," Taylor said, shoving her hands into her pockets, "have I been mean to you since you got here?"

Kate scratched the back of her head. Taylor hated the sure knowledge she had that she was shallow, but Kate out of her starched clothes and with her fluffy hair down was a lot cuter and a lot easier to be nice to. Good GirlKate put people on edge, but Depressed Swamp WitchKate looked too much like a kid for Taylor to work up her usual spite.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

 _She's trying to be polite. Of course she is._

Taylor swallowed nervously and asked, "I mean, have I been a bitch to you, made your feel like a freak, or like you're not welcome? Does me being here make this school . . . worse for you?"

Kate looked Taylor over slowly, like she was trying to see if Taylor was sincere or not. Taylor tried to keep some amount of warmth in her expression, but the way Kate looked at her felt like the exact opposite of when Rachel did the same thing - it was like Taylor could feel a cold unease creep through her whole body.

Finally she said, "Yeah."

The sting grew into a stab, and Taylor felt tears coming to her eyes immediately, but she bit them back. She knew she had no right to get upset. Her fingernails (what's left of them) dug into her palm as she enforced her will over her own body.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her voice was as weak as that apology.

Kate blinked as she thought for a few seconds, then said, "It's cool."

"It's not," Taylor protested.

Kate shrugged. "I know. But . . ."

Taylor peered into Kate's dark room as best she could. The darkness, the underwear on the floor, the muffin wrappers from the dining commons, the faraway look in Kate's eyes every time they weren't making purposeful eye contact. Dana and Victoria looking out for Taylor were probably the only reasons Taylor was getting through this. Who did Kate have (who wasn't a demon part-time)?

 _It's good for girls to look out for other girls. It's good for girls to look out for other girls. It's good for-_

Taylor took a deep breath and said, "I fucked up. Not as in I made a mistake, but that I did something wrong."

Kate stood up a little straighter while Taylor talked, though her arms stayed wrapped around herself.

"So, in my old church, they taught me that I had to forgive everyone, always, because it wasn't man's place to judge, only god's. And I hated that. I left because I thought you shouldn't forgive people who are unrepentant, who won't try to make up for what they did. I couldn't just forgive, and I couldn't forget, either. So I'm not going to ask you to forgive me for doing all that stuff to you . . . but. If you ever need anything, you can text me."

Slowly, Kate nodded. They sat in silence for a short while, then Kate said, "Bye, Taylor."

"Bye, Kate."

Taylor decided that she had to, at some point, deal with the homework that was piling up as she was spending all her time being stressed and wanting to kiss Rachel again. Once she settled in, she shot a few quick messages to follow-up on the chaos of today.

To Victoria:

 **Taylor:** hey i just wanted to check in and make sure everything's cool with Nathan? have you given him the phone yet?

And to Rachel:

 **Taylor:** hey so i tried to check in with max but I haven't seen her around the dorms. have you seen her / talked to her yet?

But it wasn't until a few hours later than anything came of these questions. At 8:02pm Taylor got a message.

 **Rachel:** hey so i still havent heart back from max.  
 **Rachel:** which isnt unusual but im a little worried b/c warren's not in his dorm either  
 **Rachel:** and hes not out with brooke, i checked.

 **Taylor:** were they planning on hanging out tonight?

 **Rachel:** idk

A few more minutes passed. Then, at 8:21pm:

 **Rachel:** ok so chloe has no idea where max is either. I think i wanna look for her.

 **Taylor:** are you in your dorm room?

 **Rachel:** ya

Taylor opened the door and walked in. She wanted to be able to take a second and be dazed by how eclectic and busy the whole place is, but she picked up on Rachel's nervous energy as soon as she saw her.

Rachel had her brightly-colored stone in her hand and only cut off pacing because Taylor walked in.

"Do you think you can find her?" Taylor asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. I mean, she's not adventurous, she doesn't like to go new places, especially by herself. Plus, I . . ."

She trailed off, but whatever she was saying seemed crucial. "You what?" Taylor asked.

Rachel hesitated a little longer, closing her eyes and nodding slowly. After a moment, she said, "I have a feeling I know where she is."

"You do? That's perfect."

Rachel didn't look as relieved as Taylor felt. She said, "No, like, it's weird, I'm feeling . . . something. And it's Max, I know it's Max, and I know where she is."

Now Taylor was just confused. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying . . . I think. You know how yesterday you told me you had powers? Like reading people's minds and mind-control?"

Taylor nodded. Rachel nodded back even more vigorously. "So, like, I think this is something I can _do._ Like, last night, when you left the school I could _feel_ it. I wasn't fast enough to catch up to you but I knew where you were. And now . . . I can feel Max, too."

"That's . . ." nothing came to mind, other than Taylor's continual amazement at what was happening to them. "Shit, that's neat. Where is she?"

Rachel wet her lips nervously, then said, "She's at the pier."

When Rachel had gotten that feeling about Taylor, Taylor had been in trouble. Convenient as this whole 'sense' was, it also made her more scared.

Taylor checked her phone. "We can still catch the last bus there. Let's go. Let's go now."

Rachel nodded, grabbing a sweater. She threw it at Taylor as they walked into the hall.

"You'll get cold," she said, and Taylor couldn't really argue with that.

* * *

As the bus stopped at the beach, Taylor hesitated before standing up.

 _Is she still here?_

 _"She's still here, all right. She comes here to take photographs sometimes, and she's got like no sense of time. She probably won't realize how late it is until they shut off the pier lights."_

Once they were out of the bus, they held hands and started power-walking towards the pier. Unfortunately, they were so focused on that that they didn't pay attention to the sound of a truck door opening as soon as they hit the parking lot. There were footsteps immediately behind them before Taylor actually turned to look and see who was there.

She jumped. "Shit!, Nathan, you scared-"

He didn't stop walking towards them. He looked pissed and purposeful, and his eyes were straight on her.

"You bitch," he said, shoving her back against the side of a car. Taylor didn't even get the chance to notice that it was Victoria's.

"You think you can just steal from me? That you can make me look like an idiot?"

"Nathan what are you talking ab-"

Nathan reached up and grabbed her throat. It wasn't really enough to make her choke, but it was enough to tell her he could. "My phone, whore. Keep your mouth shut and give it to me - now."

"I - I don't have-"

Nathan stumbled backward as Rachel pried him off of Taylor effortlessly and shoved him back. "Nathan, get a fucking grip," she said, placing herself between him and Taylor. "And keep your p . . . aws?"

Rachel took a step back as a haze enveloped Nathan, cloaking him in black that moved a second before he did, like it was dragging his body. The shade's burning eyes opened. "You want me to get a grip?" it asked in that terrible voice - low, distorted, scratching like metal. Its hands emerged next, human-like but the fingers were so long and so many and so spidery that they couldn't possibly belong to a person.

Taylor stepped up beside Rachel, pulling her gem from her pocket and holding it close to her chest. Rachel glanced to her side and did the same. The shade grinned, only slivers of flame visible between a mouth that had been sewn shut.

"Nathan?"

Victoria's voice appeared behind them, and the shade vanished in an instant. Nathan turned around to see Victoria and Max enter the parking lot from the pier while Taylor and Rachel tried to hide their gems behind their back, ready to conjure their weapons if they had to.

"Vic?" He asked, surprised and a little angry. "What are you . . . what are you two doing here?"

Max and Victoria both looked as casual as could be, their cameras around their neck, dressed in comfortable clothes (different than what Victoria had been wearing earlier, Taylor recognized). They both look mystified at the scene in front of them.

 _"It looks like we were just in time. Max could have been ambushed."_

 _We're still gonna have to fight him._

 _"I know."_

Victoria shrugged as she approached, walking towards them as if they would all just form into a circle. You know, like teens do. Instead, Nathan inched his way into her path, blocking her trajectory.

Victoria glanced at Max, then said, "We were talking photography. Max missed kind of a big show, y'know." She paused, then, louder, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Victoria - Max," Rachel said, cautious, afraid, "You should go. You need to go right now."

"What?" Victoria scoffed. "What is this? What's going on?"

Taylor didn't want to clarify. She wanted Victoria to listen, to run, get as far away from Nathan as possible. But there was only one way she could think to do that.

"Nathan drugged me, Victoria, okay? He didn't deal to someone who dosed me, _he_ did it. And I don't think I'm the only one. He threatened me, and he's threatened other girls, too."

Nathan's face was blanched as if his worst fear were coming true.

Victoria picked up on that quickly, looking Nathan over. She said, "Nathan, what is going on? what did you do-"

Victoria cut off to scream as Max cleared the few feet between her and Nathan, gripped his shoulder, and sucker-punched him. He collapsed to the ground immediately, not even catching himself before he hit the asphalt.

Shocked, Taylor asked, "Max, what the . . .?"

She looked down at him and grimaced. "I really don't want to hear him talk."

The cloak of darkness wrapped around Nathan once again, and picked him up off the ground. Taylor didn't know if he was even conscious, but the shade clearly was.

"Idiot boy . . ." it muttered as it stood, hunched over and weak as it looked.

"Nathan, are you okay?" Victoria asked, taking a few steps forward and placing a hand on the shade's shoulders. "Max, you didn't have to-"

The shade swiped Victoria in the chest, sending her flying across the asphalt several feet away. Max reeled, too shocked to respond.

 _"Now!"_

As Rachel and Taylor held the gems in front of their chests, motes of light began to form around them, just as the inky-black mist emerged around their feet. It swirled around them, more and more lights, more and more choking darkness until they could barely see. Then, in a flash of light, they were transformed, their weapons in their hands.

Rachel had her bow drawn before Taylor could even blink. The bolt of light flashed, but the shade was gone the instant it should have made contact.

"What?" Rachel asked in surprise.

The shade re-appeared right in front of them, and before Rachel could react it shoved her back against Victoria's car so hard she just crumpled to the ground.

"Rachel, no!" Taylor shouted. The monster's huge, swiping hands came for her next, but she threw herself to the ground to avoid it. As she willed it, the darkness that surrounded her shaped itself into a scythe over her staff, but by the time she picked herself up and slashed at where the shade had been, it was already gone.

She looked around and found it charging on all fours (which was horrifying, by the way, given that it looked like a person's silhouette given to a sketch artist who lived in an alien society of spider-people) towards Max, who was kneeling over Victoria, trying to help her to her feet. She barely had time to look up before it crashed into her, sending her flying over Victoria's body.

It looked like it was getting ready to pounce when Taylor reached it, hooking the blade of her weapon around the shade's torso(?).

"Don't you fucking touch her," Taylor spat as the thing turned. She saw the swipe coming this time, blocking with the shaft of her staff. It was enough force to make her stumble but not lose her footing, so she just tried to roll with the momentum, swinging the scythe in a giant arc around herself before the point of it dug into the shade's back.

It screamed, stumbling forward. Taylor sidestepped as the thing fell on the opposite side of her, letting her stand between it and Victoria.

"Stop," came a soft voice from behind Taylor. She glanced down and realized that Victoria was still conscious, reaching out for her leg. "Please," she begged, "stop fighting."

Taylor shook her head, letting the scythe dissipate and re-form into a spear. "I can't. I have to do this." She had to finish this thing, and she had to do it now before it got the chance to seriously hurt someone.

The next thing she heard was Victoria beginning to sob, curling up on herself in fetal position.

Just as Taylor tightened her grip on her staff, ready to charge forward, Victoria's voice appeared in her head.

 _It's too much . . . please. I can't take this anymore, it hurts. It's too much."_

A droplet of water hit Taylor's face, startling her. She hadn't even noticed the storm clouds that had formed above them, but suddenly it began to pour rain.

The shade was picking itself back up, the gash in its side that revealed the fire within quickly suturing shut, just like the creature's mouth.

"IT'S TOO MUCH!" Victoria screamed, and the sound was so strong and so blood-curdling that Taylor and the shade alike froze with fear.

Victoria reached out, and in a blinding flash, she changed.

When her sight returned, Taylor found Victoria standing beside her. Her old clothes were gone, replaced with a suit and largely-unbuttoned button-up and plaid slacks that were, frankly, ridiculous. But what really caught Taylor's eye was the saber in Victoria's right hand, with a hilt that looked like it was carved from a dark blue gemstone.

The shade just stood and stared, as if assessing its options looking at the two of them. Behind him, though, Rachel picked herself up off the ground (with great effort), and a new bolt formed on her bow as she started to draw.

As the wind picked up, the Shade's frame wavered, showing small pieces of Nathan underneath, somewhere within the fire.

"Outnumbered," it said, standing up straight. It turned to face Victoria and Taylor and said, "I'll be seein' ya."

The haze shrank, collapsing in on itself, losing all form. For a second, all that appeared to be where Nathan had been was inky-black mass, then it dissipated, leaving nothing behind at all. Not even Nathan.

Taylor ran the distance between her and Rachel, yelling, "Are you okay?!" over the pouring rain.

She took Rachel's hand, and no sooner had they touched than Rachel stumbled, her witch outfit and weapon vanishing and her regular clothes returning.

"D-did you kill it?" Rachel asked, panting, dazed.

Taylor shook her head. "No, no, I just hurt it. It didn't go into my staff, so it's still . . . out there somewhere."

 _"Um."_ Although Taylor heard it at a distance, she knew it was Victoria's voice, and she knew it was only in her head. She and Rachel both turned to look. Victoria stood there, sword in hand, staring down at her clothes, the weapon, the shining jewel in her hand. They had found their Warrior.

She yelled, "SO, WHAT THE FUCK?!"


	9. Episode 7: Respite

"WHY DO I HAVE A SWORD? WHEN DID IT START RAINING?"

Victoria could be exceptionally loud when she wanted to be, but Taylor didn't feel like getting spotted like this (if they hadn't been already). As soon as she was sure Rachel could walk on her own, Taylor and Rachel split up - Taylor for Victoria, Rachel for Max.

"Victoria - it's, it's okay, I can explain, just-"

"AND WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Victoria said, pointing at the gem in Taylor's staff. When her eyes met Taylor's, though, she quieted down, recognizing that Taylor was trying to shush her. "What . . . what was that _thing?_ "

Taylor took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself (and Victoria). Her staff turned insubstantial, just a pillar of black smoke, and the gem fell into her hand as the darkness swirled around, then poured into it. Taylor held the gem aloft.

"You're a witch, Victoria. So am I, so is Rachel. We're protecting Arcadia Bay from . . . well, you saw," Taylor said, shrugging. She pocketed the gem now and continued, "We call them shades."

Max had come to by now, and Rachel helped her get up to her feet. She put a hand to her head, wincing. Victoria followed Taylor's eyes and turned to face Rachel and Max. She looked very close to the edge of a panic attack of her very own.

Max said, "What - what happened to Nathan?"

Rachel replied, "He, uh, got possessed."

Without missing a beat, Max replied, "Well, shit. That explains how he got up so fast."

This exchange was apparently too much for Victoria, because she half-shouted, "Okay I'm gonna need everyone to SHUT UP for a second. I . . ." her eyes darted back and forth in space, not looking at anyone, like she was about to be sick. Softer, she continued, "I need to get away from the ocean."

As if that were a totally normal request, Rachel nodded, both she and Max approaching the other two. "Yeah, for sure. We took the bus, though, so . . ."

Victoria was on a delay, but after a pause she said, "We'll just take mine."

Rachel and Taylor both nodded, but Max said, "I want to check Nathan's car before we go." She nodded towards the other side of the lot, close to the bus stop, where Nathan's car was, in fact, parked.

"Whatever," Victoria replied dismissively. "Just be quick, alright?"

"For sure."

The rain was beginning to lessen almost as quickly as it had come on, sparing Taylor's actual clothes from getting soaked ( _I wonder if the robes will still be wet next time I wear them?)_. As Rachel and Max walked over to Nathan's car, Victoria placed a hand on Taylor's shoulder and leaned on her a little.

"C'mon," she said, "My car's right here."

Taylor hesitated, looking between Victoria and Nathan's car. She pulled away gently as she said, "Actually . . . I'm going to look at Nathan's car, too."

Victoria was incredulous. "Seriously?"

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. But I'll be right back."

It looked like Nathan didn't bother to lock his car, because Rachel and Max were already in the cab, sitting on either side and going through everything. Max sat on the driver's side, clicking through the photos on Nathan's camera. Rachel had the glove compartment open, and was pulling out a small black case as Taylor arrived.

"What's that?" Taylor asked, standing at the door.

Rachel looked up at her, then scooted towards the center of the seat so Taylor could climb in and get out of the rain. The first thing that caught her eye was the glove compartment, which had several small baggies. Most were cocaine or weed, which was no surprise, but there was another baggie that she wasn't familiar with.

"Oh, shit," Rachel murmured as she opened up the case. Max and Taylor both glanced over, finding three small glass vials of a clear liquid and a syringe lying in neat foam niches.

It didn't take Taylor long to figure out what they were looking at. "That's GHB. That's the stuff Nathan used on me . . ." she pulled the unfamiliar powder out of the glove compartment and put it on the dash. "I think this is, too. I don't know why he'd need it in syringe form, though. That's not exactly an easy way to dose someone."

Max shot Taylor a worried glance, but Rachel was busy running her fingers over the syringe. Before Taylor could say anything more, Max sniffed the air and grimaced.

"Eugh," Max whined, "It smells like blood in here." She looked down at the seats, took another whiff, and said, "I think someone scrubbed it off the seats."

Max was acting . . . bizarre. Max was always a little off, but today she was being downright weird, more on the level that Victoria seemed to think she was. Taylor asked, "Seriously, like, how can you tell that?" She scrutinized Max's face as she looked up at Taylor. "And for that matter, how are you basically okay? Nathan looked like he literally fucking killed you."

Rachel sighed, closing the case of GHB. She said, "Yeeaahh . . . I guess we've got some explaining to do." She looked around outside the car, where the rain had almost entirely stopped. It was night time now, but without the rain, the lamps dotting the side of the road provided plenty of visibility.

"But not here. Let's talk in the car."

They brought all of the 'evidence' with them as they closed up Nathan's car.

* * *

Victoria didn't take long to start the questions once they were no longer in sight of the beach.

"So, question one. Rachel: what do you mean that Nathan is 'possessed?'"

Taylor ignored the whole 'clearly intended respondent' part of that question and said, "Like, literally possessed. These shade things possess people - just boys, as far as we can tell - and we have to fight them, and once we do, I can exorcise them. Then they go in here," she said, pulling out her gem to wave it for a second. Victoria glanced in the rear view mirror to see what Taylor was referring to, and if she was surprised, Taylor couldn't really tell from the back seat.

"Shades . . . okay. And after Nathan . . . got possessed, what happened to me? Everything was just sort of a blur for me. It was really hard to think . . ."

Taylor made a mental note that Victoria might want to have a check-up for a possible concussion with the school nurse.

Rachel got to the answer first. "You're a witch. I'm one too. It looks like, when one of us gets in trouble, we can sort of, I don't know, transform? And these gems show up. And we can use them to fight? This was just my second time, to be honest, and I kinda . . ." she looked over at Taylor nervously, but when she only got a shrug in return, she finished, "Didn't do anything?"

Victoria's weapon and outfit had disappeared by the time they got in the car, and right now her twisted blue gemstone sat in the cup holder of her Prius. Max had been glancing at it periodically, but it didn't seem to be doing anything by itself.

Victoria repeated to herself, "Witch . . . witch. Okay." Then, louder, "So, what's a witch, exactly?"

Victoria was either taking this all much better or much worse than Taylor had based on how calm she was acting, and Taylor wasn't really sure which. She had either absorbed enough witch-related media that this seemed plausible and understandable, or was in shock and literally incapable of expressing emotion. Taylor didn't know how to gauge how much witch media would be enough to make this all feel normal. Probably a lot.

Rachel began, "A witch is . . . uh. It's a girl who fights demons who possess people with . . . magic?"

Rachel was starting to sound circular. Taylor stepped in, "Okay, so, some context. There's supposed to be four witches in Arcadia Bay; us three, and one more. The three of us are supposed to work together and exorcise shades. The last girl is . . . a wild card? I guess. We don't really know what's up with her yet. Or who she is. There's also one more person called the 'Maiden' that we're supposed to find and protect but I know even less about her."

Thankfully, Victoria wasn't digging into where Taylor was getting this information yet (she hardly felt like explaining her relationship to a psychic bird who may or may not have been an earlier witch when they were still trying to get through what a witch was in the first place).

"O . . . kay then," Victoria said. After a short pause, she continued, "Fourth question, then. What did Nathan do to you? Are you sure he's the one that dosed you?"

Taylor replied, "I mean, yeah, I'm pretty fucking sure. I was at the End of the World party, I accidentally used some witch magic on Logan-" (Victoria let out a little "oh!"), "- I bailed, more weird magic stuff, I saw a shade possess someone, and then I passed out. Considering I apparently was found in a stairwell having been bound up with duct tape-" (everyone looked extremely uncomfortable by this point, but Taylor pretended not to notice), "- I'm gonna say, yeah, Nathan dosed and abducted me."

"Uh," Max said, turning around in the passenger's seat to look back at Taylor. "Not to like, vouch for him in any way, shape, or form, but I actually know for sure Nathan didn't do that. I was with him that night. He was in no condition to do any of that." She paused, then said, "I think . . . he may have been planning to, though?" Taylor looked back at her with confusion all over her face, so Max added, "I mean, he had a lot of that stuff in his car. I doubt it was all for personal use."

"That reminds me . . ." Victoria said quietly, tapping on her steering wheel. Everyone turned their attention back to her, expecting more questions. She was quick to meet those expectations.

"Taylor, you said you thought there were others that Nathan dosed. Why do you think so?"

"Oh, um," Taylor started, nervously brushing back her hair. Rachel caught the tic, and a second later she took Taylor's hand, rubbing her thumb on the inside of Taylor's palm.

Taylor smiled, then answered, "Yeah, uh. So when I took Nathan's phone, I found these texts he sent someone. Like, threats telling someone to keep quiet. He said he knew where they slept, called them a feminazi-"

Max cut in with a loud, "MMM" sound. When Taylor quieted, she said, "Nathan sent _me_ those texts."

"Oh," Taylor replied. After a few seconds, a realization clicked, and she said louder, more emphatically: "Oh."

 _Did he do something to Max, too?_

Considering what had happened to her, ostensibly one of Nathan's (peripheral) friends, Taylor couldn't imagine what Nathan would do with a drugged Max. Rather, she didn't want to imagine (she plenty well could, and plenty well _would_ if she didn't try and think about literally anything else).

Victoria let out an exasperated sigh. They had just arrived at the edge of town, and Blackwell was only a few minutes away. It was Wednesday night and Taylor couldn't imagine what the next few days at school were going to be like, now that her and Rachel's secret had expanded (not only to Victoria, but outside of the coven as well. Max seemed trustworthy, though, if for no other reason then she had plenty of reason to hate Nathan).

Victoria said, "I seriously don't know what the fuck is going on."

 _"Oh, mood,"_ came Rachel's voice. Taylor wasn't really sure what that meant, but Victoria's summary was . . . accurate.

"Like, what the fuck," Victoria continued. "I'm supposed to just believe that a) I'm a witch, b) Nathan, my friend, is somehow both a kidnapping creep and an actual, literal demon thing, and c) Max is a fucking werewolf. Like, what kind of fucking circus is-"

"Wait, Max is a what now?" Taylor immediately stopped listening past 'werewolf', not even noticing that she cut Victoria off.

As if it would help clarify, Victoria repeated (more emphatically this time), " _A fucking werewolf_. Like, is everyone just magic and they forgot to tell me?"

Max absolutely was not turning around to meet Taylor's blank, mystified stare. Eventually, Rachel chimed in, "Yeeaahh . . . that's . . . kinda the explaining I said I'd do."

Taylor just blinked. _How are you taking this so well?_

 _"Just give me a minute?"_

"Yeah, uh, so. Like, so, sophomore year, I kind of found out that I could shape shift. Into a wolf. But only like . . . during the full moon. So I may, technically, be kind of a 'were-wolf.'" She over-ennunciated while making air quotes around the term, as if that were not the absolute exact fucking thing she was describing.

Taylor responded with a flat: "What."

Rachel's smile was painfully awkward. She laughed a little, but when it was clear Taylor wasn't relaxing, she continued, "Yeah. Um. Like . . . it was a few nights after my Mom died. My bio Mom, not like . . . my regular Mom. We'd only met recently, but we were getting along really well, and then, one day, I found out she hadn't called because she'd died of an overdose."

Taylor had never heard about any of this. She hadn't even known Rachel was adopted. Every time Taylor learned something about Rachel, it was always big. It was getting harder to just roll with it, but right now, Taylor just felt sympathy.

Rachel shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear, and said, "So, um. I went out into the forest. I got so, so mad, because my Dad hadn't told me about her sooner, and because I lost her so soon. And I kinda . . . started a fire. It got really big and . . ."

Victoria cut in, "Wait, sophomore year? Did you start the fucking Culmination fire?"

"Aha," Rachel laughed, an almost unnatural sound. "Kinda?"

Taylor remembered that fire. It was a wild fire that only lasted a few days, but it went from being a non-threat when it started, almost completely contained within hours, to completely uncontrolled the following night, consuming much of what had been a nearby state park. She had been out at a cast party with Victoria when the worst of it hit, and they all received alerts about the air quality plummeting, though it only lasted a few hours. Taylor's mom picked her up at like 2am to keep her from walking home in the ash and smoke. Just when they thought they might have had to evacuate the town, the fire stopped spreading entirely, and it ended only a few hours later. The whole thing had been bizarre. She remembered now that the fire was found to be human-caused, but she hadn't expected . . . well, this.  
The punches just weren't stopping, it seemed.

"So, that night. I had a crazy ass dream. It was so realistic, it took me a while after I woke up to realize it hadn't happened; I saw Arcadia Bay burning. I thought the fire I caused had somehow come and destroyed everything . . . and there was so much smoke, I remember, it blotted out the sun like an eclipse. It was terrifying." She swallowed, then said, "And . . . when I woke up, I was different. Stronger, mostly. And I only got stronger until the full moon came a few days later, and I . . . well."

She glanced over at Taylor's expectant, anxious face, and added, "Awoo?"

It was so fucking out of place that Taylor just cracked up.

"What?" Rachel asked, giggling nervously. When Taylor only kept laughing, though, her giggling became more sincere. "Whaaat?" She asked again.

"What is even your life, Rachel?" Victoria asked. She stopped at the left-hand turn into Blackwell's parking lot.

Before Rachel could respond, Max looked over from the passenger seat and said, strangely gentle, "Hey, how about we take a break from the Q&A for the night. I think we all need the rest."

Somehow, Taylor felt absolutely wired. She was the only one that hadn't recently gotten beat up, though, so she didn't feel like asking to continue.

Rachel nodded. "I think that would be good. We can talk more . . . later."

* * *

It was a few minutes after classes let out for the day when Taylor was added to a group chat with Max, Victoria, Rachel, and Chloe, called **Friends Chat** (not everyone is blessed with Juliet's naming abilities).

 **Rachel:** yo has anyone seen Warren or Nathan?  
 **Rachel:** haven't seen either of them all day  
 **Rachel:** little worried. as you might imagine

 **Max:** No =\ Warren didn't come to classes and his car is gone.

 **Victoria:** I've tried texting Nathan, but no response.  
Not that that's weird, really, but combined with yesterday, it's probably not a good sign.

 **Taylor:** he did like literally evaporate yesterday. maybe he let warren know about us and they... went into hiding i guess

 **Chloe:** Like he has his own supervillain lair? typical.

 **Taylor:**...  
 **Taylor:** hi chloe

 **Chloe:** Heya Taylor.

 **Taylor:** wait like how much of what's going on do you know about? i'm so confused

 **Chloe:** Pretty much all of it I guess ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
 **Chloe:** Rachel turned me like years ago **Taylor:** into a werewolf?!

 **Chloe:** yeah?  
 **Chloe:** Did no one tell T that Im a werewolf.  
 **Chloe:** This is like the second most interesting thing about me and no one brought it up?

 **Victoria:** chill Price. It's been kind of a crazy past 24 hours. We now all know you're a werewolf, happy?

 **Max:** btw what's the most interesting thing about you?

 **Chloe:** Im gay dude

 **Taylor:** i think in this particular group chat being a werewolf is more interesting.  
 **Taylor:** statistically

 **Rachel:** ANYWAY **,** are you all free on the weekend? we should share information in person

 **Chloe:** I think this adventuring party might be a little big for my place **Victoria:** The dorm lounge would probably be big enough...

 **Max:** ಠ_ಠ  
 **Max:** Maybe like, a little exposed though?

 **Victoria:** Okay, yes, fair. Do you have a better idea?

 **Rachel:** chill guys  
 **Rachel:** ill literally just ask mr keaton if we can use the drama room on the weekend

 **Chloe:** Teacher's pet

 **Rachel:**.

 **Max:** That sounds good tho

 **Victoria:** That works.

 **Taylor:** that's really neat. does he seriously just like you that much?

 **Rachel:** ya  
 **Rachel:** he literally loves me, itll be fine  
 **Rachel:** saturday, ok?  
 **Rachel:** ill text everyone the details later

Then, Victoria sent Taylor a message.

 **Victoria:** Hey, are you free? Wanna take a drive?

* * *

"So, how long have you known?"

"Known what?"

"That you're a witch."

They were taking a drive through the country northeast of Arcadia Bay, where single-lane asphalt roads cut through forests, occasionally breaking off into the driveways of the very wealthy or the very poor. Nathan's family lived somewhere out here, Taylor knew, but she could never keep the directions straight to get to his house.

It was weird, having this coming-out conversation when they'd never needed to had an actual coming-out conversation. Not needing to talk to each other about complicated things was a big part of how their friendship worked - or at least, how it used to work. That all seemed to be changing now. Taylor wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Taylor shrugged. "Like . . . two weeks ago, almost?"

"Hm." Victoria hummed quietly. "Does that have something to do with Rachel asking you out when she did? Because you two were witches?"

Taylor leaned against the door, trying to press her cheek against the cold glass. She nodded. "It started that way, yeah . . . Rachel wanted to get me alone somewhere we could talk. But Tuesday night she asked me out for real." Now that she was thinking about it, that didn't follow as sensibly as it had from her perspective. "So . . . like, I guess asking me out was a pretense to talk, but talking was also kinda a pretense to . . . ask me out." _Beat._ "Being gay is complicated sometimes."

Victoria didn't respond. In fact, seconds and then minutes ticked by as Taylor grew increasingly uncomfortable in the silence. Eventually, she just pulled out her phone, running face-first into Tillamook County's spotty-as-hell cell coverage.

Eventually, Victoria sighed, leaning forward against the steering wheel. "I don't know a damn thing about my friends."

She didn't sound angry. She didn't even sound hurt. She just sounded lost.

"Victoria . . ." Taylor immediately drifted back into silence. She wanted to say something comforting, something that would point out how untrue that really was.

Instead, she said, "The things going on in my life just sound fucking insane. _I_ sound insane to _myself_. Imagine how insane I'd sound if you hadn't seen Nathan for yourself?"

"It sounds insane even when I've seen Nathan, seen . . . so much weird shit." Victoria glanced over at Taylor for a second, then back at the road. "But I needed to know."

Victoria paused for a second. When she continued, her she finally did sound hurt: "I need you to trust me, Taylor. I'm caught up in all of this now, one, but two, I'm your friend. No matter how crazy this all is, I should have been there helping you. I should have had the chance to be."

"I trust you," Taylor said. The withering look of disbelief Victoria gave her stung like talking to Kate did, like failure and regret.

She said, "I _will_ trust you." She paused, then, "We're in this together now, yeah?"

Victoria's fingers curled around the steering wheel as she gripped it tightly. "I don't even know what 'this' is, but . . . yeah. I'm with you."

She glanced over at Taylor once more. "Still not sure about Rachel, though."

Taylor snorted. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

* * *

By Friday night, they still hadn't turned up any clues as to where Nathan and Warren had gone. With a new witch to add to the team and no demons to hunt, Rachel and Taylor decided it was as good a time as any to go on their second date - to the Bigfoot's game.

It was a chilly night at around 8pm, the last rays of dusk blotted out by clouds that had been threatening to rain all day, but answered the players' (and Taylor's) prayers for a dry game.

For a private school stadium in rural Oregon, the game was packed - the Bigfoots had been on a winning streak since the start of the season, or so Taylor was told. Being short their Kicker (which is apparently what Nathan played) didn't seem to be causing them any problems, because the score was 20 - 8, which seemed like a big lead. And in line with what Taylor had heard, Logan and Zach were in fact kind of super stars. Logan could tackle like, a lot of people, and he towered over even the other bulky players on the opposing team. Zach was quarterback, which he rarely failed to obnoxiously mention when trying to hit on someone (even when they were sexting), and, to Taylor's utter surprise, he was really good at it. At the very least, he was really fast, really accurate, and could throw really far, which looked like most of the skills involved in the position.

"Wow," Taylor said after Logan shut down yet another play by the opposing team. "I can't believe we beat him up. He's kind of enormous."

"Psh -" Rachel waved her hand dismissively, "- whatever. It would have been even easier if it had been a fist fight. I could have just broken his legs or something."

"Ha!" Taylor laughed, but Rachel's face quickly told her that this was not, in fact, a joke. _Damn. You're that strong?_

 _"I'm . . . pretty strong, yeah."_

 _It seems like being a werewolf comes with perks, then?_

 _"Oh, definitely."_ Even if she wasn't looking, Rachel must have caught Taylor's eager expression because she chuckled. _"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it later. Let's just be normal kids for now."_

As she said/thought this, Rachel scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Taylor's waist and leaned into her. Even through Taylor's shirt, her whole arm and hand were gloriously warm in comparison to the weather. Taylor dropped her hand onto Rachel's knee as if to return to the favor, but her hands were in fact freezing and helping not at all.

Still, it was nice to touch.

 _If we had missed all the shades up until now, and this was just a regular game, we could have taken them down all at once._

 _"But hey, since we did it this way, we're gonna win another game. We've just been showing our school spirit."_

"Speaking of school spirit . . ." Rachel said, gesturing over at the cheer squad.

Dana's voice could carry as far and as loud as she wanted, and tonight, she wanted it to go far. She cried,

"COME ON BIGFOOTS, WHAT'S YOUR BATTLE CRY?"

And the squad called back,

 **"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

And again,

"COME ON BIGFOOTS, WHAT'S YOUR BATTLE CRY?"

 **"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

 **Come on crowd, let's hear your battle cry!**

Rachel had been preparing in her head the whole time, so Taylor was luckily prepared to hop up and join in, as loud as she could with the rest of the middle section of the crowd (the high schoolers):

 **"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

 **"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

 **VIC/TOR/Y!** (clap, clap!) **BIGFOOTS!**

They slipped into a new cheer, which apparently everyone knew because almost everyone started singing only a second after Dana started the cheer. Rachel didn't even need to think about this one, apparently, so Taylor just stayed standing to try and look enthusiastic. Once it started repeating, though, she managed to join in, even if not very confidentially.

 **We're fighting for a win,**

 **We've all but said 'amen'**

 **the Blackwell Bigfoots** (clap!)

 **Looks like we're on top again!**

(repeat x3)

The cheer ended with a bunch of hollering and high-kicks, and Rachel and Taylor dropped back onto the bleachers giggling. No wonder Rachel came to these games - she may not be athletic, but she does love to talk big, and here you got to _scream_ your big talk. Plus, they'd situated themselves on the edge of the cheer squad, closest to Dana.

Rachel tapped Taylor's back a few times until she looked over to her. Rachel said, "Hey, there's not a lot of time left before half-time. Why don't we get snacks before everyone gets up all at once?"

"Oh, good idea."

* * *

Once half-time started, Taylor and Rachel were already on their way back to the bleachers with soda, candy, and a bag of popcorn in hand. Not enough people had gotten off the bleachers yet to make a real immovable horde, but there were still dozens of energetic kids and teenagers power-walking to the concessions stand, just pressed as close as they could to the bleachers, single-file, to let people pass. It made things significantly more difficult to keep holding hands, but Rachel wouldn't relent, half walking with and half dragging Taylor along. This was their first time out together as girlfriends, but if anyone was surprised, they didn't show it when they said 'hi.'

"RACHEL! HEY, RACHEL!"

They turned and looked up at the bleachers, finding Max Caulfield and Kate Marsh sitting on the fourth row, waving at them. Taylor started to wave back out of pure reflex, but Rachel just cried, "FRIENDS!" And dashed up the bleachers. She all but fell into Max's lap, wrapping her arms crushingly around her torso.

Taylor followed tentatively behind, taking a seat backwards on the row underneath Max and Kate.

When Rachel disentangled herself from Max, she sat down on the same bench as Taylor and waved 'hello' to Kate as well. "Sup you two - what're you up to?"

"Watching foot ball," Max replied, deadpan, slowly nodding. It was exactly the sort of response Max seemed to give all the time, as if she just didn't get what people meant, but Rachel just laughed.

"You two out on a date?" Max asked.

"Yep," Rachel said, taking Taylor's hand again to prove it. "Thought I'd show T some good old-fashioned injurious violence dressed up as character building and school spirit. Are _you two_ on a date?"

Kate laughed, awkward, but when Max didn't immediately reply, they looked at each other. After a few seconds passed, her eyes started to go wide. "Oh! um. . ." Kate said, turning her attention back to Rachel, scratching at her own wrist nervously.

Max tried to pick up the flag and continue, "We haven't really . . . talked . . . about it."

Rachel smiled, making her hair tic and trying to redirect, "Oh, well, none of our business anyway - ANYWAY, Kate! Did you hear that Max won the Everyday Heroes Contest and then that Victoria swooped in and got to present her work instead?"

Kate giggled and replied, "Yes, yes I did in fact. We're still not totally sure if Max can put it on her resume, though."

 _This is literally what we were like Tuesday, right? Like this awkward about that question?_

 _"Oh yeah. Max wants to date Kate hard, I just kinda assumed she'd mentioned that before bringing her."_

"Oh, that's right, huh." Taylor said, talking to herself. It got everyone else's attention, though, so she decided to share the thought. "You're . . . going for career photography, right Max?"

Max just nodded in reply.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Max is being modest, but the two of us are going to be stars in a couple of years." She made a peace sign over her eye and winked. "Guaranteed."

Max snorted. "Meanwhile, Rachel doesn't have a modest bone in her body." Max's cracked a smile and said, "I hope the show went well for Victoria. Plus, showing up with Mr. Jefferson couldn't have hurt her getting noticed."

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, it did. She's going to do a short job down in S.F. at the end of the quarter. I'm surprised she didn't mention - didn't you guys talk shop when you went to the pier?"

Kate tilted her head curiously, shifting her attention from Taylor to Max. Max, meanwhile, remained eerily still for several quiet seconds before she said, "I guess she just forgot to mention it. Victoria and I only tend to get along if we keep talking to a minimum."

"RACHEL! KATE! TAYLOR! MAX! OVER HERE!"

Even with all the bustle between them and the field, Dana's Captain Voice was unmistakable. Taylor and Rachel turned as Kate and Max waved and found Dana on the other side of the fence, waving with a pom-pom to make herself as obvious as possible.

"HEY DANA!" Rachel shouted in reply. She turned back and hugged Max and Kate in turn ("I'll see you tomorrow / It was so good to see you! Come hang out with us more!), then dashed down all of the tiny stairs between the bleacher rows one-by-one, Taylor following slowly and more carefully.

Taylor arrived just in time to hear their left-handed high five.

"Dana, I think your black magic is working - the mighty Bigfoots live to terrorize the Badgers another day." Rachel kept her hands on her hips while she talked, much more open than she was when she talked to most other people.

"I'm telling you, we're absolutely killing it this year. If the boys don't chill out soon the Bigfoots will lose their cryptid status. Also, RACHEL, you look fucking hot! Are you on a date?"

"What, like I'm not glamorous all the time?" Rachel mocked offense, then immediately waved it off. "But yes, it's a date, and yes, I'm trying to be impressive."

Meanwhile, Taylor was a little off her guard. First, while she'd seen Dana in her cheer outfit before, she'd never seen her in the full makeup with the heavy eyeliner and glitter on her cheeks, like she were some kind of cheerleading fairy princess. Second, Dana's flagrant crush on Rachel (that Taylor had somehow missed up until Dana's comments on Wednesday) was really cute and funny. The combination of people being attracted to Rachel and being recognizably _with_ Rachel felt as good as receiving the compliment herself (better, honestly, because she got to skip the self-consciousness).

Taylor tucked her hair behind her ear and said with awe, "Wow, Dana. I've never been to a game but I get why the football boys all fall for you now; you're basically the Queen of the field."

"Aww, you guys," Dana said, pouting dramatically. "You're too sweet. Too glamorous. I can't have it, here, in my court. You shall have to go."

Rachel pulled out her phone and started tapping her way into an app. "Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" She opened up her camera and pulled Taylor close.

"Bigfoots?" Taylor asked tentatively.

"Nah, you," Rachel said, pecking her cheek.

"Photo bomb!" Dana cried as if she hadn't been in the frame the whole time.

She and Rachel both managed to smile normally for the camera, but Taylor was too much of a gay mess to emote properly and just simmered in nervous embarrassment until Rachel stopped spamming the button.

* * *

The original after-date sleepover plan was cuddling and watching a movie together, but after about ten minutes after Taylor arrived in Rachel's room, Rachel was checking out her witch outfit in the mirror.

"I mean, LOOK at this. It's not like, hideous, but it's just so . . . tacky." The part that Rachel really couldn't get over was the fact that the dress she was wearing had five buttons down the middle that served absolutely no purpose - it wasn't even designed to look like it was a button-up in any way.

"Are those mood rings?" Taylor asked, leaning off of Rachel's bed to snatch her hand and inspect it. To her dismay, she found no fewer than three moon-shaped plastic mood rings on that hand alone.

Rachel pulled her hand free and inspected the rings herself. She shook her head and said, wearily, "I see now that this power is not a gift, but a curse I am to bear."

Taylor placed her hands together in mock prayer: "You bear your cross with humility, Sister Amber."

"Pff, yeah, I'm the most fucking humble," Rachel replied with a dismissive wave and a wink. "But, seriously, can I take these off?"

Rachel tugged off all the extra jewelry from her fingers and dumped it on her bedside table. The air around her glowed for a second, and then her crop top and jeans returned in place of the witch's dress.

The jewelry remained on the bedside table.

"Huh," Taylor said, picking up one of the shitty mood rings. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Yeah, weird, let me just-" Rachel snatched up her gem stone from the bed and, in a flash of light, transformed back into her witch costume with her bow in hand. She lowered her bow hand and looked at her free hand and- "Oh, shit!"

The rings didn't come back.

"Wait, can we just . . . change clothes?" Taylor asked.

She dropped the ring back on the bedside table, pulled out her own gem stone, stood up, and transformed. Everything looked normal. She grabbed one of the rings and slid it on her empty hand, then transformed back. The ring vanished along with the rest of the outfit.

"Taylor, do you get what this means? We get to go shopping!"

Taylor turned back to look at Rachel's pure excitement and added, "You're thinking so small. We get to go shop- _lifting_."

Rachel paused for a second, clearly thinking it over. Then the light bulb went off: "OH SHIT BECAUSE IT'S - THEY'RE JUST GONE!"

They took each other's hands and flailed them in glee. It was so easy to have fun with Rachel, even when it was over literally nothing.

When they settled down for a second, Rachel's excitement settled down into a sultry smile. She pulled Taylor's hands closer, onto her hips, and stood as tall as she could to kiss her. Taylor still felt pretty awkward about what to do with her hands, but Rachel's hips were nice, and she could hold her warm body close while they kissed. Taylor was, as it turned out, kind of a cold-blooded lizard, and Rachel was far too nice to be close to for awkwardness to get the better of her.

Rachel wrapped her arms around the back of Taylor's neck before they stopped kissing, the sultriness all melted away into an abashed smile.

She said, "Hey, um, Taylor . . . could we talk about dating? And like, what we're looking for out of it?"

"Oh." _Holy shit okay, okay, this is okay, just-_ "Um, well," _-I can do this, just think! It-_ "Y-yeah. Definitely."

Rachel smiled once more, brighter, and planted one more kiss on Taylor's lips. _"It's okay, hun. I won't bite."_

The two of them settled down on Rachel's bed, facing each other and holding each other's hand.

Taylor, after a fair bit of humming and delaying and mental panic, started, "Yeah, so I've got literally no experience dating, so this is a little tough for me? But I know I like kissing you, and I like touching you like this," she said, wiggling Rachel's hand a little. Her mind raced on to more open possibilities, things they hadn't done yet, and continued, "And like, I'd like to go on dates too? Like, we could go to shows together, or take trips places? And you're really soft and small and I think it'd be nice to cuddle and do these sleep over things."

She paused again with a timid fake smile. "I'm sorry, I just, I really never thought I'd get to date anyone in high school and I never got this far."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, no, this - communication thingie," she gestured back and forth between them, "It's pretty new for me too. I've like, dated before, but 'dating' has always basically boiled down to 'let's hang out at your house and have sex a lot' and once we actually got to the talking stage things tended to . . . disintegrate."

Taylor just blinked.

Rachel followed up with a shrug, "We'd just get on each other's nerves?"

 _I don't want that to happen to us . . . am I just going to get on her nerves?_ Taylor was fairly certain Rachel could hear what she was thinking, but if she could, she wasn't letting on. _What if I'm clingy and annoying?_

"Well . . . okay. Hm." It took Taylor a moment to think of an angle that wasn't just borne out of insecurity. Finally, she asked, "So, what would be a more ideal dating experience for you? Because I'd personally prefer to . . . not do that thing."

"Oh, hey, good question."

Taylor anticipated a long wait for a response, and didn't expect to get through it all in one conversation.

To her surprise, Rachel soon continued, "Yeah, okay, so," Rachel pulled her hand free and began to count on her fingers, "1) I'd like an emotionally intimate and honest relationship. That's historically where my relationships kind of fall apart, and that's been a fuck up in both directions, but I know getting that right is important to me. 2) I like being touched, like, a lot. Like you've already seen how touchy I am but I'm actually. More." She was struggling with the right words.

Still, Taylor was pretty sure she knew what Rachel was trying to say, so she nodded and said, "Okay, yeah."

With some relief, Rachel moved on. "So, uh, yeah, 3) is like. Uh. Okay so my longest relationship ever actually did really well with the intimacy and honesty thing and there wasn't really an issue with physical contact or sex. But there was a lot of like . . . codependency?" Recognizing Taylor's blank look, Rachel clarified, "Like, we were hella reliant on one another about everything, is the thing."

Finally, it clicked for Taylor: "Co- _dependent_ , got it. Like as opposed to independence?"

Rachel snapped her fingers into a finger-gun. "Yes! You've cracked it. I like to be independent and I want to stay that way while still being able to, like . . ." she gestured between them again. "Be . . . together. Does that make sense?"

Taylor was still trying to work that one out in her head, but she wanted to let Rachel continue, so she said, "I think so."

Rachel nodded. "And, um. 4) I guess." She paused to think longer for this one, then said, "I think 4) would be a lack of jealousy. Or, no, that's not quite it. I don't want jealousy to turn into meanness or resentment or like, a belief that I don't like you. I'm a flirty person, y'know?, but I still want to date _you._ So if something comes up where I'm making you really jealous, or if I guess it's the other way around and I get really jealous, I hope we can talk about it instead of getting mad. That would be really ideal for me, personally."

Almost all of those things felt more tangible than Taylor had really anticipated. 'Don't be jealous' sounded impossible, but, 'Let's talk if we're feeling jealous' actually sounded really easy. A lot of the other things were things she could actually, probably do.

"Okay," Taylor replied. "I'm just gonna reply to those first, because those seem like good places to start?"

Rachel nodded, and Taylor began, "So, intimacy and honesty. To be perfectly honest, I really struggle with both. I really got into the habit somewhere along the way of compartmentalizing all of my feelings from one part of my life to only that part of my life, and it makes it really hard to be like . . . authentic? with people. And I don't really like lying, but I don't say when things are wrong a lot of the time and I just avoid mentioning things that are important. Like . . . like not telling Victoria I was a witch. It's such a big thing, you know? And it was so complicated to explain that I just . . . didn't."

Taylor laughed nervously, and tacked on, "And I think . . . you might be kinda the same way, huh?"

Rachel put up a small smile, broadcasting her discomfort more than hiding it. _"A little,"_ Rachel thought, clear enough that Taylor was sure she was replying on purpose.

Quick to change direction after that, Taylor said, "As for touching, I really like touching a lot of the time, too. But sometimes I really need a lot of space, too. I'll like, tell you when that is though - most of the time it's a safe assumption that I want you to hold my hand or play with my hair or . . . just. Whatever it is in a given situation."

"Noted," Rachel replied, taking Taylor's hand once again. That brought a smile to Taylor's face.

"Now, the independence thing. Watching my mom over the years, and the sorts of relationships she's had since she and my dad divorced, I really, really want to avoid dependent relationships. On the other hand . . ." she made a big shrug, "I'm kinda shit at taking care of myself sometimes, to be honest. Sooner or later, a lot of my friends end up taking care of me. I'm getting better at it, I think, but I know this is another weak spot for me."

Taylor grimaced. "I think what I'm trying to say here is that I agree with you, and I want that too, but I know it's something I need to work on. Is that . . . okay?"

Rachel nodded, giving Taylor's hand a squeeze. "Yeah, of course. I'm not expecting that you or me just has this all figured out, y'know? It's just what I want to make happen."

"Totally, I get that," Taylor replied, squeezing back.

Taylor went on, "Oh, and jealousy. I'm honestly not sure how jealous I am as a person or how I handle that? At least in a relationship way? But I like the idea of being able to just talk about it if it comes up."

Taylor tucked hair behind her ear and said, more quietly, "I like this thing we're doing. It makes the idea of dating a lot less scary."

"This actually scares me kinda a lot," Rachel said with a chuckle. "But I think it's the right way to do it, maybe."

There were a few minutes of hand-holding, small talk, and leaning up against the wall together so Rachel could lean her head against Taylor's shoulder. It was nice, and Taylor felt like they were actually making strides towards a relationship that was somehow lovely and also quite easy.

That was until Rachel threw a wrench of a question into things.

She said, "So . . . I did some Googling about asexuality, and I've come up with a question."

"O-oh?" Taylor hoped her alarm wasn't immediately obvious.

Rachel nodded against Taylor's shoulder. "Yeah. I hadn't ever really had asexuality framed as a spectrum before? And like, it makes sense that people are different and complicated, I just hadn't really considered it too deeply before. But I was wondering about you? Like, you said you weren't that interested in sex, but is that just . . . disinterest? Or like, repulsion? I don't really know what your boundaries are on the topic."

Rachel somehow had managed to stumble on a question that was a lot less awkward and also a lot more confusing than Taylor had expected.

Taylor replied, slowly at first, "Oh, hm. I'm actually not super sure. Like I hadn't really thought about the distinction until pretty recently, but meeting other ace people online kind of helped me . . . get a sense of myself." She paused for a moment, debating whether it was okay to share why it was hard for her to figure out. But, then again, they had _just_ talked about honesty.

Taylor took a breath, then continued, "But, yeah. When I was younger, I guess I was just mostly uninterested in the topic. I wasn't really grossed out or anything by it, I just didn't . . . see the appeal, I guess? But, um . . . like, a few years ago, I was sexually assaulted at a party, and I guess I've been pretty freaked out about it since then? Like, when other people talk about it, it's one thing, but when I try and picture myself having sex, it's . . . bad, mostly."

"Oh," Rachel replied, flat, rubbing the back of Taylor's hand in slow circles. "I didn't know . . . about that. I'm sorry."

"It's . . ." Taylor was about to say 'cool' dismissively, but even to her, that felt minimizing. She settled for, "It happened. I can't totally say 'it's in the past' or whatever, but it isn't absolutely fucking with my life like it used to, I guess."

"I . . . see," Rachel replied. After a pause, she continued, "If . . . if that's why you don't want to have sex, is that . . . being ace? Or is that just like, trauma?"

The question irritated Taylor more than she'd expected. She just tried (and largely failed) to keep her voice unaffected when she said, "I'm not really sure it matters, honestly, one way or the other - it's not like I'm getting un-raped any time soon to get an answer."

It was silent for a long time after that. They still held hands and Rachel still leaned on her, but the two of them stayed stiff in their discomfort. Neither of them had really spoken harshly to the other before. It wasn't super clear to Taylor how to follow-up on that. A first test, and neither of them had a clear answer to it.

Rachel said, "That was insensitive, and like, inappropriately nosey of me. I'm sorry."

Taylor said, "I got caught off guard, I guess, and I snapped at you. I'll say what's actually bothering me, and in a more respectful way, in the future. I'm sorry."

Rachel said, "I accept your apology."

And Taylor said, "And I accept yours," and placed a kiss in Rachel's hair.

"You're . . . pretty good at apologies, huh?" Rachel asked.

"So are you? - There was just a lot of asking for forgiveness involved in being raised Mormon."

"My dad was a big stickler about apologies. Said there's no point in saying 'sorry' if you don't get what you did and you're sincere about not doing it again."

"Hm . . . he sounds a bit like an asshole. But I guess he's not super wrong, either."

Rachel nuzzled Taylor's shoulder a little. She said, "Hey, um, I think I've had enough about . . . serious stuff for one night. Want to just work on the outline for tomorrow?"

"Yes please."


	10. Episode 8: Witches & Demons

_Author's Note:_ It's a recap episode! If you've read the first arc but you're fuzzy on the details, we'll be reviewing them here, adding in extra werewolf lore, and seeing a bit more how people feel about the supernatural events going on.

* * *

After getting a reminder from Rachel to meet up in Mr. Keaton's classroom Saturday afternoon, Victoria came to pick Taylor up from her room. As Taylor left her room with her laptop in her backpack, Victoria said, "Time for show and tell, I guess."

"What's up?"

Courtney emerged from around the corner from the shower room. She was in her pajamas after noon, which was a first, and her hair was clumped and spiky. She was always so cute, regardless of how dressed up she was or was not, but she never looked like she was trying very hard for it.

"Oh, hey Courtney," Taylor said with a wave, joining the other two to form a triangle.

"Heya T. It feels like I haven't seen you all week." She had a smile plastered on, but Taylor knew her well enough to see suspicion under it. "How've you been?"

"Oh, good, yeah." Taylor realized she didn't have much of an excuse on hand for failing to hang out with Courtney all week. They'd barely even spoken. "I've just, uh, been hanging out with Rachel a lot, I guess."

"That's lovely. I bet the two of you are really cute together - maybe the three of us could hang out sometime?"

Courtney was being nice in a way that put Taylor on edge. This is how she talked to other club members when she wanted something, but not usually how she talked with them. And if she wanted something, Taylor wasn't sure what it could be.

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

Courtney shifted her attention to Victoria. "You two doing stuff today?"

Victoria rubbed the back of her neck. It was a tell for her nervousness, but Taylor was pretty sure she had no idea when she was doing it. Courtney blinked and her eyes narrowed for a second, but then the look was gone as soon as Victoria started talking.

"Oh, yeah, you know. Just a . . ." Victoria glanced over at Taylor, "a photography project. It's due next week so we just have to get on it."

"Oh, huh," Courtney said, crossing her arms over her chest. She shrugged and said, "Hadn't heard anything about that."

 _"She's not buying it."_

"Well. Good luck on your project."

"For sure," Victoria replied with a wave as Courtney walked past them towards her room.

Taylor's phone buzzed. The preview didn't include a contact name, but the message started with: **Hey Taylor, it's Kate, I just wa...**

"I don't think she bought it," Victoria murmured as Taylor swiped the message open.

 _She doesn't have to buy it if she can't guess what's really going on._

"What the fuck?"

 **Maybe: Kate:** Hey Taylor, it's Kate, I just wanted to check in and see if you had any luck finding anyone else who got harassing texts / if you found out who sent them?

 _Oh, yeah. I'm telepathic now. I forgot to mention._

"You're . . . _what_ now?"

Taylor glanced up at Victoria. "Telepathic."

Taylor suppressed the smug grin that tried to creep up onto her face, watching Victoria's face carve itself into shock and disbelief. She just turned her attention back to her phone.

 **Taylor:** hey kate! yeah actually, i did. we're handling it.

Kate texted back quickly.

 **Kate:** That's great! Kind of. Not really, I guess, but it's better you find them than not, right?

"How does it work?"

Taylor glanced up, the smirk impossible to deny this time. _Like this._

 _"Can you hear this?"_

 _Loud and clear, Tori._

"Holy shit."

 **Taylor:** yeah, absolutely. and thanks for following up, that's really cool of you

 **Kate:** Of course ^_^

* * *

It was almost half an hour after their agreed-upon meeting time when everyone was present and they got the projector working, but Rachel didn't waste any extra time before diving into her Power Point presentation. They put a lot of effort into it last night, and Taylor knew Rachel kept working this morning. This was probably going to be the best presentation she'd ever seen someone pull out of their ass in a matter of hours (which was how all of her presentations were done, historically).

The presentation was titled, **Witches & Demons (or Oh my Fucking God Everything is on Fire What is Going on and What do We Do) prepared by Rachel D. Amber and Taylor N. Christensen**. Rachel had just wanted to name it **The Recent Fuckening** but Taylor wanted to start them off on a lighter, less-ominous note.

"So. Hey there everyone. I wanted to get everyone together to go over the information we know about the supernatural events of Arcadia Bay. There's a lot to cover, so I'm going to start with a chronology from my perspective, and then Taylor will be expanding out conceptually. I will start with werewolves.

(Slide 1) **Werewolves:** "During my sophomore year at Blackwell, I started a forest fire that came to be known as the Culmination fire. The following night, I had a vision about Arcadia Bay being destroyed in a terrible fire, and woke up with supernatural abilities, namely increased physical abilities like strength and endurance, a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and a minor healing factor. These traits are suppressed during a new moon and enhanced during a gibbous moon, during which I shapeshift into . . . well. A big wolf." Rachel used a laser pointer to circle fan art of a wolf that had clearly been drawn by a furry.

(Slide 2) **Ritual:** "A few weeks later, I had another vision that revealed a process by which I could make more werewolves. After talking it over with Chloe, I turned her into a werewolf as well, and we began to hunt mutated animals that started appearing in Culmination State Park. After Max moved back last year, I made her into a werewolf as well. Max is the one who realized that all of our abilities were suppressed during a new moon, because . . . well. We hadn't really tested it. We've mostly made a point to avoid using our abilities when it isn't the full moon-"

Victoria scoffed, "Max sure hasn't."

Rachel pretended not to hear. "So, originally, we assumed, incorrectly, that this was just standard werewolf stuff. However, thanks to a vision that Taylor had, and an encounter we had a few days ago, we've since realized that I'm a witch under the title 'Oracle of the Moon.'"

(Slide 3): Rachel moved onto a slide that was split in half - one side labeled **Oracle** , the other **Moon.**

"According to Wikipedia, an Oracle is 'a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods.' Sidestepping the whole concept of divinity there, this clearly fits in line with the guiding visions I've been having over the past two years. However, if they haven't just been instructive, but actually precognitive - as in revealing the future - that's a bad sign. However, I'm led to assume that I'm not being shown things as 'the future' so much as 'a possible future' that we have been tasked with preventing."

Victoria cut in again - "Tasked by who, exactly?"

Rachel replied with a radiant smile and a, "Great question! That leads me to the second half of this slide - the moon."

Victoria looked flabbergasted at this response, but Rachel just continued on:

"The moon has been interpreted in mythology to be a deity dating back approximately 7,000 years, with the oldest records of human art depicting the moon showing up in Ireland. Deific interpretations of the moon vary, but common themes include sorcery, femininity, life, time, and wisdom. Considering my ability to conjure a bow - we'll get to that in a bit - if it were a literal deity guiding me, I would have to guess Artemis, goddess of archery, who is occasionally represented with lunar symbolism. For clarity, I don't think that's what's happening here, but it might serve as a point of reference for the role I'm supposed to serve."

Rachel continued onto a new slide labeled (Slide 4): **Witches** that was covered in what looked like selections of a Pinterest feed plus several anime girls with bows, staves, and swords.

"Now, Taylor is going to take over and guide us through what we know about witches, and what our objectives are. Taylor?"

Everyone was pretty settled in by now. Victoria sat the closest to the projector, carefully reading through all of the descriptive text that they'd prepared and occasionally rolling her eyes at the images Rachel had picked out. Max had dragged one of those desk/chair combos next to Chloe and leaned against it, keeping her eyes up on the slide show (most of the time). Taylor was surprised the two of them hadn't been asking more questions, honestly - maybe it was just the class-like setting that made them feel like they couldn't interrupt. Chloe, on the other hand, sat with her feet up on Mr. Keaton's desk, glancing between the screen and a notebook she was doodling in. What sort of life do you have to live that even this presentation becomes mundane?

Taylor sat in a chair to the side of the screen. She glanced at her first note card and began:

"So, witches. What are they? First I want to talk about how I first found out about witches, and then break down the details we know."

"On Tuesday of last week, I had a run-in with Zach in the girl's bathroom. He had cornered Juliet about breaking up with him, and he was getting kind of scary, but when I confronted him, he looked all messed up. He looked like a silhouette or shadow of himself, but larger, and with fire inside his body, kind of like so. When I saw him, and he saw that I saw him, he knocked Juliet out, said that I was a witch (because I could see this shadowy figure instead of just Zach), and tried to attack me. When I tried to defend myself, I was suddenly holding a staff, blasted him with it, and then the weird, shadowy stuff got pulled into the staff. A few days later, I had a vision, where I learned a bunch of stuff about what being a witch meant."

(Slide 5) **Transformation & Weapons**: "The first and most obvious detail of witches that we've seen is their ability to transform into a pre-existing outfit and summon a weapon. I have a staff, Rachel has a bow, and Victoria has a sword. Each of our weapons has a gem embedded in it that appears to generate the rest of it when we want or need it to."

(Slide 6) **Magic Gem** : "Here are pictures of the three gems we've got so far. Mine appeared first and is red. We looked into gemstone cuts a bit and found out that that this one is called a Radiant cut. This is particularly interesting because the Radiant cut was invented in 1976 by . . . Henry Grossbard . . . suggesting that this stone was cut not that long ago. Rachel's is white-ish - what was the word?"

Rachel tagged in, "Opalescent?"

Taylor snapped her fingers as she remembered and said, "Yes! That's it, opalescent. The cut appears to be Marquise, originally commissioned by . . . King Louis XIV for Marquise de Pompadour."

Taylor glanced up at Victoria for her French pronunciations, and Victoria gave her a small nod.

"Neat. The last stone we've found is a bit stranger because we couldn't find instances of stones cut like this, but Victoria's gem is a dark blue, roughly cylinder gem. There are noticeable lines but Rachel and I weren't really sure whether or not to call the planes facets? We honestly don't know that much about gems."

"Anyway, these gems appear the first time we transform into our witch outfits, along with our weapons, and may potentially power some of the abilities we've been getting. Which leads me to my next slide."

(Slide 7) **Powers & Theme**: "Each of us has a title that suggests a certain theme as well as a role. In addition, we also seem to have unique powers - I'm not sure exactly how connected that is to our title. Rachel covered herself pretty well, but my title is, apparently, 'Child of Darkness,' which other than making me sound like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way 2.0, seems pretty accurate. My powers, aesthetically, share a strong resemblance to the demons we've been fighting called 'shades' - my staff sort of oozes out, like, smoke or mist, and I can shape that into corporeal objects. In a vision I had, it was implied that I might actually be drawing power from the same source they are - I'll get to that in a bit - but it looks like I can only hurt the shades themselves. In addition, I seem to have a weird smattering of psychic abilities, I guess? I can make people do things, like leave a place or give me an object, but they seem to retain at least some memory of me doing that, so it's not a very subtle tool. Also, I can speak telepathically with Rachel and Victoria, which is just as freaky as it sounds!"

"Now, Victoria hasn't had the chance to fight yet, but we do have some pretty solid ideas about what she can do. Her title is 'Warrior of Storm and Skies,' which is firstly bad-ass, but secondly definitely more fight-y than 'Child' or 'Oracle'. It looks like she can cause rain (unconfirmed), potentially other weather effects (unconfirmed), and share emotions through eye contact (confirmed?). In addition, unlike my staff and Rachel's bow, which sort of shape darkness and light into weapons, Victoria's actually just got a literal sword that she can like, stab people with. We're not really sure if it does magic yet."

(Slide 8) **Evil God** : "Okay, so. Twice now I've had visions where I've spoken with a raven who has tried to fill me in on what I'm supposed to be doing. Here's what I've gleaned."

"First, they referred to Arcadia Bay as being the prison of a god. I don't have a whole lot of details about this other than the fact that the shades we've been fighting serve him, and that it would be like, really bad if he got out of this prison. Apparently, he can be released through, like, violence or destruction or something. The Raven specifically told me that Rachel's vision of the burning Arcadia Bay is a potential vision of what happens if we don't stop them. Oh, they also told me that the whole weird double moon thing that happened last Thursday? That's what woke the god up and why we've become witches, probably."

(Slide 9) **Our Side:** "Yeah, okay, so. This diagram I made is supposed to show some of the ideas the Raven explained to me about witches. First, there's supposed to be four of us in total - the three of us, referred to as 'the Coven', and a fourth who may or may not be on our side. The four witches are split into two sets of two - me and Rachel make up a light/dark pair, and Victoria and the fourth witch is supposed to make up a . . . well, the fourth witch's title is 'Guardian of Time', so some sort of water/time pair? I think the Raven referred to it as 'time and tide?' The relevance of these pairs isn't super clear to me yet, but the Raven suggested that these pairs are complementary opposites. Lastly, there is supposed to be someone called 'The Maiden' that so far we don't know anything about, other than she is supposed to be explicitly linked to Arcadia Bay's survival, and we're supposed to protect her."

(Slide 10) **Our Job** : "Now, as a coven, our job seems to be to prevent the shades from causing enough violence and destruction to awaken the evil god dude. We don't really know how much that is, but so far I think we've done a . . . pretty good job. I kinda just threw this picture of Queen Beryl in because it reminded me of the plot of Season 1 of _Sailor Moon_. We apparently do have a fail-safe, which again, I'll get to, but spoiler alert, it's a little like the end of Season 1 of _Sailor Moon_."

(Slide 11) **Roles** : "Now, on top of our small supernatural abilities, it looks like we have specific roles as a team, including the Time witch we haven't met yet. 'Darkness' - me - can exorcise the shades. Once they've taken enough damage, it looks like they get pulled from the body of the boys they're possessing and they go into the gem in my staff. When we fought Nathan, I got like, one hit on him, but it apparently wasn't enough, because the shade disappeared without being exorcised."

"Now, 'The Warrior of Storm and Skies' is supposed to conjure a storm. I don't really know how that works, but the Raven showed me what it would look like, as a sort of alternate reality to Rachel's burning vision."

"Then, the 'Guardian of Time' is supposed to either guard the Maiden like we do, or 'leads her to her death' if we fuck up and the imprisoned god gets free. Apparently she's connected to Arcadia Bay in a way that would make her death stop the God from getting free? I don't know how it works, exactly, but it seems sketchy and I was advised specifically to try and prevent that, because it would basically just delay instead of stop his whole plan of getting free."

Rachel chimed in, "Also, it looks like I'm supposed to help us prevent things from ever getting that bad. Seeing visions, making other werewolves, etc - I think I'm supposed to be more proactive, whereas Taylor gets rid of shades if things go sideways."

"Wait, wait, wait - can you back up a bit?" Victoria asked. "To the whole storm-conjuring bit. What?"

"Oh yeah." The storm was one of those things Taylor felt fine talking about, as long as she didn't have to think about, as long as she didn't have to see it again. Any time she let herself remember the cold rain and the massive waterspout, it was like it was happening right then and there.

"So, in my very first vision, when I met the Raven, they told me I needed to delay 'my enemy' until a storm came. They also showed me what the storm would look like - basically a massive waterspout (like a tornado over water). It was the biggest storm I've ever seen . . ." She shook her head to clear the thought away. "Anyway, the Raven told me that the Storm was Arcadia Bay's way of making sure the god couldn't wake up, so long as it was called before 'the eclipse'. We don't really know when that's supposed to happen, though."

Chloe raised her hand. Rachel and Taylor glanced at each other for a second before Rachel said, "Uh, yeah Chloe?"

"Yeah, hey." Chloe dropped her feet from the desk and sat up. "Just a small observation here but that seems like a bad fucking plan. Like, Nathan and Warren are the only two left, right? And there's five of us, not counting witch #4 that's supposed to show up. So you exorcise them and we're gucci, right?" She made big gestures with her hands as if to make the question innocent, but Chloe looked straight at Taylor the whole time, and it was clear the 'bad fucking plan' was considered hers.

Taylor blushed, embarrassed. "Well that's . . . just all they said. I don't really get how this all works."

"Huh." Chloe replied, leaning forward on the desk. She drummed her fingers loudly on the desk for a few seconds before saying, "So, you've got a spooky dream where a carrion bird talked to you and told you to completely fuck up the town, and you think we should trust them?"

"Well I - I don't really know . . . what else to do?" Taylor's face felt hot but the rest of her felt cold. She held her arms close against her body, rubbing her upper arm.

"Well how about-" Chloe started.

Rachel cut in, "Chloe. Hey."

Chloe cut off and Rachel continued, "We're still trying to figure things out. How about we focus on Warren and Nathan before dealing with all this god stuff?"

"Is Chloe right, though?" Max asked, rising to perch in her chair. "Like, do we just have to handle those two and any more 'Shades' that crop up?"

"I think so?" Rachel replied.

"I'm . . . not so sure," Taylor added, pulling everyone's attention again. Chloe looking at her again made her anxious, so she chose her words slowly: "This . . . wasn't in the slide show, but . . . the Raven told me something. That I have to 'find the Maiden before your enemies take their _true form_ , or you will all die' . . . they didn't really go into detail on any of that, though."

"Ugh, this fucking Raven again," Chloe whined, rubbing her temples melodramatically. "We don't have shit for information to go on to find this 'Maiden' and the stakes are only, 'rocks fall, everybody dies?' What the fuck?"

Victoria took a wide look around the room so obvious it was clearly meant to (and did) draw everyone's attention away from Taylor and Chloe. "Well, for one, it looks like everyone who's been a player in this has gone to Blackwell, right?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Despite the fact that it was incredibly obvious, that detail had completely eluded Taylor, and she just sat blinking for a few seconds in disbelief at her own stupidity.

"That's . . . true, huh," Max said. She looked up at the ceiling and counted something silently on her fingers, though her lips moved along with some imperceptive words. "That's really weird."

There was a loud buzzing from Max's pocket. She didn't notice at first, but after a few seconds, it finally seemed to sink in, and she checked her phone.

"Shit, sorry guys, I gotta go." She stuffed the phone back in her pockets, grabbed her bag, and left with a little wave and a "See ya."

They sat in awkward silence for only a short moment, still on the final slide of the presentation, before Chloe announced, "Well, I'll keep out an eye for Nathan. Rip him a new one if I see him and let you guys know. Later."

"Later, Chlo."

"Bye, Chloe."

"Yeah, see ya," Chloe replied, out barely a minute after Max.

Even though Taylor was relieved to have Chloe out of the room, being left with only Rachel and Victoria quickly erased the whole 'demon fighting' context from her mind. Rachel was doing her best not to look at Victoria, who was just on her phone, waiting for nothing in particular.

 _Will they even be able to get along?_

Victoria sighed. From the looks of things, she was busy playing one of those mind-melting 2048 games. She said, "I don't really see what choice I have. It's play nice or die, right?"

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Victoria," Rachel replied wryly.

"Hey!" Taylor yelled. Everyone was acting like assholes today. She got that that was all their thing and whatever, but her ability to care was dangerously close to empty (the things Chloe said had taken most of it out of her, to be honest).

Rachel and Victoria both looked to her, startled. She felt like she should have some follow-up, but her frustration was eating up all her wit, too, so she just stared them down, hoping to get the point across through eye contact alone.

Victoria broke first. Groaning, she said, "Okay, okay, whatever. If we want to do fucking team-building exercises or whatever, why don't we just do something we all like? What do we all like?"

Everyone paused for a moment to think. Then, Rachel offered, "Well, we all like photography? Maybe we could do photography lab together?"

Taylor glanced at Victoria with concern, but whatever Victoria was feeling, she was making a point to avoid looking at anyone and cluing them in.

Taylor said, "Um . . . photography lab is kind of time Vic and I try to spend together, just the two of us, if we can. Could we do it next weekend? That way we'd have more time anyway."

Rachel frowned, but if she had a complaint, she didn't voice it (or clearly think it).

Victoria shrugged. "That works for me, if it means anything."

"Fine, yeah. I can do that," Rachel replied, nodding gently.

"And I guess . . . we could go shopping? That seems like . . . neutral ground?" Victoria offered.

That clearly gave Rachel an idea, though, because she stood up from her chair and put her hands on the computer desk and said, "Yeah! We could get new witch outfits!"

Victoria blinked a few times. "What?"

Taylor chimed in, "Oh yeah! Rachel and I figured out last night that you can take off and put on new parts of your witch costume. Like, we switched jewelry just to see if we could, and we can."

More stupefied blinks. "I'm not going to have to fight in that ugly-ass suit?"

Rachel snapped her fingers into finger guns and said, "Not if we go shopping, you don't!" and fired off two finger-shots.

"Huh. Works for me," Victoria said, finally closing out of her game and putting her phone in her pocket. "Let's go tomorrow, we can hit up some stores I like in Portland."

She stood up and looked between Rachel and Taylor. She said, "Come to think of it, your themes are light and dark, so you should be good to just shop at like, Hot Topic, right?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, but for once it seemed good-natured. "Ha ha. You're soooo clever."

"I'm fucking hilarious," Victoria replied, deadpan and straight-faced. Then, cracking a smile, she said, "But I'm going to head out, too, unless there's more, you know, 'Coven' stuff we're supposed to work out?" She put air quotes around 'coven.'

Taylor and Rachel glanced at each other, then Rachel said, "Nah, I think you're good. Plus we can just like, text if something comes up."

"Lovely. I'll see you two tomorrow, then. Bye Sweet T."

"Bye Tori!"

"See ya later, Vic."

Taylor sat down on the computer desk in front of Rachel, doing her best to swing her legs underneath it.

"Hey you," Rachel said, patting Taylor's knee in greeting.

"Hey you," Taylor replied, finally at ease and smiling. "What are you plans for this evening?"

To Taylor's dismay, Rachel grimaced. "I've . . . got to study, actually."

Taylor pouted, and Rachel rubbed her leg to comfort her. "Aww, don't be sad. I've just been so busy with all this witch stuff and being all wolfed out last weekend that I'm getting behind."

"Ooh yeaaahh . . . last week was the full moon, huh?"

Rachel nodded, now mirroring Taylor's pout. She grabbed Taylor's hand and kissed her knuckles. "Yeah . . . and I messed it all up and asked you out on the first night of the full moon like an idiot."

A whole bunch of disparate pieces of information came together all at once. She thrashed their hands up and down for a second and said, "Oh! Oh oh oh! That's! That's why Max was sick! And why Victoria saw her naked in the woods! That's why you were acting so shady!"

"Y-yeah?" Rachel said, bemused. "I thought that was, like, known? With the big reveal of me being a werewolf and everything?"

"No! Not at all because I'm dumb! I thought you had like, a big scary secret or something."

Now Rachel just looked confused. "I'm . . . a werewolf?"

"RACHEL THAT'S AWESOME, DON'T BE A DOOF!"

"God, you're cute." Rachel stood up, dropping Taylor's hand in favor of cupping her cheeks in her hands and kissing her.

Unfortunately, Taylor interrupted it when she started laughing. "What?" Rachel asked, pouting even more adorably now.

"It's just - just - you were just a closet furry."

"I'm - I'm . . . I'm not."

Taylor put her hands on her hips and insisted, "You have a fursona."

"I - I," Rachel was flustered. Taylor wasn't sure she had ever seen her flustered before. "I didn't get to like, design it! It just happens!"

"Okay, so you're furry-adjacent then."

Rachel glared. "You. Are. Infuriating." She kissed Taylor's forehead, "- and rude -" and her cheek, "- and pretty-" and her lips, "- and I like you. You menace. You absolute rogue."

"I like you, too," Taylor replied, grabbing a fistful of Rachel's shirt and pulling her back into a kiss.

When they finally broke apart a minute later, Rachel was flushed. She laughed nervously. "Ha. Yeah. Okay. Um. Cool. This seems like where I should bail if I'm gonna . . . chill out."

It took Taylor a few seconds to catch Rachel's meaning, but when she did, she quirked her eyebrows and gave a smug smirk. "That's probably smart."

Rachel nodded, closing her eyes to compose herself as she took a step back from Taylor. She picked up her bag, and Taylor took a moment to look Rachel over slowly, the way Rachel did to her that made her both self-conscious and also really happy.

"You're kind of easy to work up, huh?" Taylor asked, back to swinging her legs and looking her most innocent.

Rachel glared as she stood back up. She flipped Taylor off, but before Taylor could even mock offense, she opened her hand up, kissed it, then smooshed it onto Taylor's cheek.

"I've got a thing for cute girls, sue me," she said, backing up towards the door.

"Oh, I would never. Later, Rachel."

"Bye, bae," Rachel said with a final wave, and then Taylor was left alone in the drama lab room.

It didn't take long for loneliness to set in, but it didn't manage to cripple Taylor's good mood immediately. She decided to try and salvage it instead of going and spending the rest of her evening in her room doing homework (or, more realistically, doing nothing).

 **Taylor:** hey danny! you free? wanna get food or something?

 **Dana:** Oh hey Taylor! :) I'm studying rn but I'll be free in a couple of hours if you want to hang out?

 **Taylor:** that'd be great!

 **Dana:** Cool - I'll text you when.


End file.
